Humanization
by Durxa
Summary: Under rewrite, not much point in reading this at the moment.
1. Storm

_Life has been hectic for lack of a better word. I haven't been able to polish this story as much as I'd like but I'm going to post it anyways. I apologize for the wait to all my readers, it won't happen again._

* * *

><p>The mast was the first thing to go, torn from the deck by a wall of water. Taking three men along with it into the watery abyss that roiled around the doomed ship.<p>

His body crushed under a large box of cargo, a man's scream pierced the night. A scream that would end shortly as it petered off into a choked gurgle, the unfortunate soul drowning, as his lungs filled with blood.

Warning bells clamored to be heard over the screams of terrified men.

Overriding the clamor was the roar of the ocean's hungry maw, ready to swallow the shipping freighter _Mirabelle_ and her crew whole.

They say that hindsight is twenty-twenty, and right now it was telling David that joining a shipping company, even if his family desperately needed money, when his four year old niece can swim better then him wasn't the best idea, especially during hurricane season.

David was just glad that he hadn't been on the mast at the time the storm hit. Not that holding onto a railing in gale force winds was much better, all things considered. Would it be easier to just let go? To allow the ocean's roaring maw one more victim.

David's morbid line of thought was abruptly interrupted as a man flew by, tossed like a rag doll against the steel walls of the ship by a sudden wave. The body landed motionless on the floor, blank eyes staring accusingly at David.

Staring in sick fascination, David realized that the man was familiar to him, Tom, a kind and experienced sailor who had taken him under his wing. David's first friend from this damn boat was lying dead in front of him, and all he could do was stare.

Stare as the few friends he had made during his brief time working onboard the _Mirabelle_ died.

Stare as his death rushed toward him. Smelling of salt and howling like a rabid wolf at the moon.

Tom's dead. What chance did he have? What could he possibly do? As another man's scream pierced the stormy night the answer to his question made itself apparent, survive, he could survive.

A lull in the storm pushed David into action. He would not die here! With that in mind and his will redoubled he began pulling himself towards the crew quarters.

* * *

><p>"Here, take it."<p>

A shocked silence followed the unexpected request. "I-I can't. You need the money."

With a well practiced chuckle, David shook his head. "No Mom, you need the money far more then me. I'm staying at Tom's anyway it's not a problem."

"But David, I can't just take your hard earned money!"

"I'm taken care of Mom! It's fine!" Grinning with practiced ease he played his trump card. "Just consider it the beginning of my repayment for all the years of work you put into raising me."

* * *

><p>As David hauled himself through the door a glance back, back at the chaos outside, was all it took to confirm what he feared. Lightning eliminated all shadows and illuminated the water for a split second, but it was long enough. There were sharks in the water.<p>

He reached his room as a particularly large wave struck the ship causing him to nearly loose his footing as the ship rocked precariously. The ship righting itself was accompanied by the ominous sound of something shifting. With growing dread he cast his eyes toward the noise and saw the cart they used to transport cargo speeding down the hallway. Desperately shoving the stubborn door, he got almost no response from the rusty old piece of garbage. The blood drained from his face as he came to the realization that there was something blocking it.

Releasing an angry roar, he threw himself against the door and stumbled into the wrecked room that was once his. A quick glance over his shoulder showed him that the trunk that he stored his clothes in had been jostled out of place and had blocked the door sometime during the storm.

Groaning and rubbing a now thoroughly bruised shoulder, David stood slowly and surveyed his room. After locating and throwing on a life jacket, while trying to ignore the sound of the cart as it crashed into the wall further down the hallway, David saw the mirror.

There was a crack running down the middle of it, but the reflection was clear enough. Steel blue eyes stared out from beneath mid length brown, dirty blond as mother had insisted, hair that barely covered the tips of his ears.

His brief self analysis complete, he cast one last cursory glance around his trashed room and spotted his father's binoculars. A moment of deliberation was all it took; he grabbed them as well and headed towards the deck. Dad always claimed that they were lucky, and well at this point a little luck couldn't possibly hurt.

Stumbling onto the deck, David had an unfortunate surprise. He could see one of the lifeboats capsized and floating in the water barely in view. Ignoring the conspicuous shapes that were floating alongside the boat, he made his way towards the nearest lifeboat.

An ominous rumbling ended his hopes of escape via lifeboat. With a defeated sigh he turned and met the wave head on.

"Lucky binoculars my ass."

* * *

><p>"Please don't do this!"<p>

"We need the money."

"I don't want to lose you, not after your father died!"

"Mom, calm down. All I need to do is help move cargo onto a boat; sit around for a couple weeks; unload cargo from the boat. Rinse wash and repeat. It's easy money."

"David please! Think about your sister. Why can't you just take a job in the city?"

"Deb and the baby are fine, and this pays better then any job in the city Mom. Anyways we need the money, even if you're too stubborn to admit it."

"Please! Your family needs you!"

"No I'm going. End of discussion! I'll see you when we get back. I'll have my pay to give you."

* * *

><p>Water…<p>

Water…

Some air would be nice.

David broke the surface gasping for air. Despite his total disorientation his life vest had done its job, and he found he could breathe again.

To his surprise he was surrounded by debris, and bathed in sunlight. How long had he been out?

Vision still blotchy David looked around for anything to help him stay afloat. While the vest was helpful, waves were still somewhat problematic. He found a, in all honesty, quite conveniently placed, slab of wood; from the look of it a lifeboat was broken sometime during the storm. He pulled himself partially up onto the soaked piece of debris. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness for the second time were his father's binoculars clenched in his left hand.

* * *

><p>David could tell from the first time he had seen him; he would hate that man more then anyone he had ever seen before.<p>

He was wearing a uniform, the same type that he had seen his Dad wearing. But his face was so different from Dad. His face was hard and unmoving as if chiseled from stone, his eyes were hard, cold, disinterested in the agony he was causing this small family. He had given Mom a flag and told her that he was keeping Dad. That wasn't fair! Why would Mom trade a flag for Dad! But wait Mom was crying! Why would she trade a flag for dad and then cry about it? Unless… that man took Dad!

With a battle cry four year old David flew at the man that had taken Dad.

"Give me my Dad back!" Small fists flying with all the meager force they could muster trying something, anything to hurt the man that had taken his Dad, to hurt him as much as he was hurting. With about as much effort as one uses to brush away a fly, the man spun David around and pushed him gently towards his heavily pregnant mother who picked him up.

"I-I'm sorry. David loved his father very much. We heard the war was over and rejoiced that h-he'd be coming home."

"It's understandable ma'am." And with that the man and his unfeeling eyes turned and left.

Putting David down his mother knelt slowly to his level. "Love, you know the heroes that Daddy told you about in the stories?" David nodded slowly. "Your father was a hero David, and sometimes David, heroes die."

* * *

><p>David had awoken several times since the storm. Every time he had he saw nothing but blue. Blue sky, blue ocean, even the lifeboat shard was blue.<p>

Awakening again he cast his eyes around. Blue sky? Check. Blue ocean? Check. Blue shard of debris? Check. Large grey ominous lighthouse? Check. Wait what?

Looking behind himself David found that his shard of helpfulness had taken him to a lighthouse. That meant people! Giving his makeshift life raft an affectionate pat he smiled to himself.

"Good boat shard of helpfulness." David muttered groggily. "I appreciate it."

Still bleary from his near death experience David failed to notice the chills running down his back as he looked at the ominous lighthouse, his subconscious warning him that it led not towards salvation, but damnation.


	2. Arrival

ARRIVAL

She couldn't fit in the hidey holes anymore, but Daddy and some of the other girls had helped her make a fort instead. She could hear him coming now!

In a rush Samantha ran out of her fort, leaping over one of the old angels surrounded by rose petals, whom she had gathered from a long, long time ago, and towards Daddy.

She could feel her excitement building; she hadn't seen Daddy for a long time. It seemed like forever and ever since she had seen him. As she dodged around a fireplace, she didn't know why someone would put a fireplace in the middle of a hallway, she heard it.

"Come on Mr. B! You're such a slow poke!"

Samantha stopped in her tracks, tilting her head in confusion. Why did Daddy already have a Little Sister? After a pause she decided that it didn't matter. She'd just have a friend to help her gather from the angels! It would be fun!

Continuing her run towards the Little Sister and Daddy she raised a hand over her head in an attempt to get their attention. To her surprise Daddy didn't acknowledge her and her sister barely spared her a glance. Shrugging, Samantha continued her run toward the Little Sister, reaching out to grab her new friend's shoulder.

"Mr. B! Don't let the meanie get me! Unzip her! Unzip her!" The Little Sister screamed as she jumped behind her protector.

For the first time Samantha paused, and looked at Daddy who was raising his lance and rumbling at her. Where was the baddie? She glanced around and didn't see one. Was she the baddie?

"Daddy? What's wrong? Daddy did I do something?" Samantha didn't have time to scream before Daddy's lance made contact with her head.

()

David dragged himself up off of his boat shard and looked up at the lighthouse. This had to be the luckiest event of his life! He paused to kiss his father's pair of lucky binoculars. Those were never going to leave his side ever, ever again!

Slowly he managed to pull himself up off the ground and stumbled towards the door. Resting his head against the door, he breathed deeply for several seconds, relishing air that wasn't tainted by water.

Limping though the doorway he was greeted by darkness, and the ominous sound of the door sliding closed behind him.

()

Why was this windbag bitching about government and religion at him? Did he actually think that David cared?

"I give you…" How big of an ego did he have to have to actually think that…?

"Rapture!" Holy shit! David felt his jaw drop; nothing could have prepared him for this. This wasn't possible. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. He pinched himself hoping briefly to wake from this hallucination and be back on his boat shard.

Staring awe struck by the incredible view he was seeing, David couldn't help but duck as some kind of shark darted over the bathysphere and towards one of the… skyscrapers? That hardly seemed the correct word. His musings were interrupted by the shark once again, this time as it entered one of the buildings through a window. That meant that the building had to be flooded, right? Was there even anyone still down there? If there was how would they let the city's condition deteriorate so far? Was there food or water down there? Had he given up dieing of heatstroke to die of starvation in some Atlantis knock off?

Jolted out of his less then optimistic thoughts as the bathysphere entered some kind of docking tube, David felt his nervous anticipation rising as he ascended the tube. Anticipation that was greeted by darkness, the type of darkness that could only be found in a place where the sun had never, and would never shine.

Glancing around the bathysphere David identified some sort of radio, and thank god, a flashlight. He grabbed the radio, and after fiddling with the unfamiliar contraption, he managed to turn it on and was rewarded with a burst of static, the noise deafening in the near absolute silence.

"Hello. Is anyone there? Tell me I'm not alone in this hell hole." Static was his only response.

Growling in irritation David began changing the station desperate to contact someone anyone at all.

"ere beyond the sea somewhere waiting for me. My lover stands on golden sands"

"Christ!" The sudden explosion of unexpected sound in the otherwise silent environment caused David to drop the radio.

"and watches the ships that go sailin"

"Piece of shit!" Putting the flashlight down he grabbed the offending devise and shut it off. He briefly contemplated throwing the damn thing away but figured that it might come in handy later.

Glancing up David felt his blood turn to ice. When he had set the flashlight down on the bench it had ended up pointing out of the large window, lighting up the immediate area outside. Bodies surrounded by luggage were littering the floor, left where they dropped because either no one cared enough to give them a proper burial or there was no one left to do it. Men, women, children all left where they had fallen, like some morbid sort of mass demonstration.

Near the submersible was the body of a woman, not much older then him, her dead eyes staring blankly into space, hand outstretched towards the tube the sub had surfaced from. They had wanted to leave; they had all wanted to leave. What was this place? And more importantly why had they wanted to leave?

As he watched the bodies, trying to contain his horror, he saw movement. It had been out of the corner of his eye but it had been there. Swinging the flashlight around all David saw was more bodies. One was particularly grotesque, a man, drenched in blood, leaning up against the wall of the atrium. His face malformed as if it had been crudely carved from clay, the middle, ring, and pinky fingers of his right hand fused together, a mammoth pustule sprouted from his left shoulder giving him a hunchbacked appearance. Shuddering at the horrid corpse David swept the flashlight to the other side of the room.

"Hello! Can anyone hear me?" The thought of what had turned that man into something not quite human sent shivers down David's spine. Had he been born like that? Was it a disease? Worse was it contagious?

Gaining no response from the corpses and feeling foolish for asking, David steeled himself, and slowly pushed the door open. Once more surveying the mounds of bodies David began carefully making his way through the literal carpet of dead. Being careful to step only on open ground, what little there was, David made his slow way through the bodies, trying desperately to ignore the smell.

Right foot poised looking for an area free of the dead; David shifted his weight slightly to reach a promisingly sturdy looking duffel bag, and promptly slipped on the moist ground. Arms flailing he tried desperately to regain his balance, succeeding only after hastily placing his right foot back on the ground.

Too hastily it turned out. Feeling his gorge rising as a smell overpowered the already heinous stench of death accompanied by a slight squelch and the ominous feeling of his boot soaking through; David looked down, and promptly wished that he hadn't. His boot was ankle deep in the bloated stomach of one of the unfortunate victims of whatever happened here. Struggling to hold it together, and fighting the urge to let his stomach empty its cargo, David began to pull his foot from the cadaver.

The squelching noise returned with a vengeance as the body seemed quite reluctant to relinquish its hold on his boot. After what seemed like an eternity David managed to yank his foot free of the desiccated corpse. Against his better judgment, looking down at the body he watched in disgust as something with about the same consistency as a thick soup or custard oozed out of the remains of the man who had been a doormat.

Stomach protesting violently, and all thoughts of respecting the dead gone, David ran as fast as he could towards the exit oblivious to where his feet landed. Finally reaching the alcove near the exit which was fortunately clear of bodies, he found a trash can and let his stomach do what it needed to.

How many had died there? How many were deformed like that man had been? What a horrible way to die, features warped so that you're unrecognizable, limbs malformed and grotesque, growths pulsing in time with your heart beat. Heart beat… oh God no. Spinning around and pointing his flashlight in the direction of the heinous body, David felt the hair on his neck stand up.

The "corpse" was gone. Flashlight casting wildly around the room, terrified beyond belief, David tried to locate the missing corpse.

"H-hello is anyone there? Are you hurt? Do you need help?"

"Answer me damn it!"

"_Fresh meat."_ David stopped, standing completely still. Was he hearing things? Starting to hyperventilate, he began to back away towards the exit. He needed more then anything to leave this room.

The answer to whether he was alone or not was soon answered by a slight whistling noise. Looking up David saw something arcing through the air in his general direction. Sidestepping out of the way quickly, David was able to avoid the projectile. It landed with a heavy thud, and as he glanced down he saw with growing dread that it was a cleaver, a cleaver drenched in dried blood.

"OH HOW I'VE MISSED FRESH MEAT!"The scream as it shattered the oppressive silence was all the pressing that David needed. He ran.

Trying as he did to ignore the sound of the footsteps that belonged to the not-quite-human behind him, a not-quite-human that was gaining quickly.


	3. New Friends

NEW FRIENDS

David ran faster then he ever had before, and yet could hear the not-quite-human gaining on him. Running blindly through the unfamiliar city had already gotten him hopelessly lost, and he knew that there was next to no chance for him to find the bathysphere on his own.

He could hear the rhythmic beat of metal striking metal as the abomination pursuing him bashed it's cleaver against the wall. Blood pounding in his ears he came to a crossroad, on impulse he took the right most branch that immediately headed down to a lower level.

"Don't think I won't get you! I can smells the fear on you!"

A door in front of David opened revealing a wall of steam, a hot water pipe must have burst at some point. Desperate and seeing no alternative he dashed into the hallway, panicked eyes looking for a place to hide amidst the steam.

An alcove, barely noticeable in the limited visibility of the steam drenched hallway, caught David's eye. Moving as quickly and quietly as he could he hid behind the alcove and waited.

Upon reaching the steam filled hallway the rhythmic bashing of the creatures cleaver ceased, leaving an ominous silence in its wake.

"You think you can hide meat? You think you can" the creature's voice was cut of as it began coughing uncontrollably. The fit which lasted approximately thirty seconds was ended with a thick hacking noise and the sound of something wet hitting the floor.

For a moment David let himself hope that the abomination that had been hounding his footsteps had choked to death. Alas that was not the case.

"I'm going to find you meat! And when I do I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born!"

Hands latched over his mouth to stifle his breath, David prayed to all the gods that he knew that he would not be slaughtered by this mad man, like a pig at harvest. The man as if sensing David's thoughts slowed his ragged rasping breathing to the point where David could no longer make it out over the sound of steam leaking from the pipes in the area.

The whistle was what warned him, that slight whistle that surrounds an object that is traveling quickly. Acting on instinct David let his knees go limp and crashed to the floor just as the blood encrusted cleaver embedded itself in the pipe where his head was resting seconds ago.

Through the steam David could make out the outline of his attacker standing above him attempting to wrench his cleaver from the pipe. Still acting on a potent combination of fear and adrenaline David launched himself towards his attacker.

()

Samantha paused, holding her breath, and listened as the splicer that was hunting her shuffled past, muttering to itself all the while.

Glancing down at the Pep bar and canned peaches, the only food she'd managed to scrounge up, Samantha sighed. She had learned during the last few years that without Daddy looking out for her, food was much harder to find. And the only way she had been able to get even this amount of food was by stealing it from the Splicer that was currently chasing her.

"L-little slut! You think that I will let you get away with this? T-that's my treasure! Mine! You can't have i-it!"

The Splicer's shambling footsteps leaving the area and the door sealing were comforting sounds to the Ex-Little Sister. She had come to realize that Rapture was not the utopia that she had always thought it was. There were no angels, there were dead bodies. There were no rose petals, there was dried blood. The denizens of Rapture weren't beautiful they were horrifically twisted mockeries of their former selves. Adam wasn't magical juice, it was blood. She had been drinking blood for years and worse she had enjoyed it.

She had to stop! She couldn't think of it. Couldn't think of all the people Daddy had unzipped, of all the people she had consumed, of gorging herself on blood until her stomach felt as if it was going to explode.

Feeling her gorge rising Samantha shot up and rushed towards the nearest bathroom that she knew of. Flying through the door she slipped in a puddle smashing into the metal door leading into the bathroom. Whimpering and holding onto an arm that was bent at an angle that she knew wasn't natural, she limped into the bathroom. Attempting to hold in her scream she snapped her arm back into place, before her healing abilities cemented it in its broken position.

The urge to allow her stomach to leap from her body having passed, she glanced into the mirror. Dark greasy hair hung down past her shoulders, blocking her eyes a bit, eyes that glowed yellow in the partial darkness. Her skin, pale from lack of sunlight, hung off of her sunken cheeks a trait that along with the dark rings around her eyes accentuated her skeletal look. Idly she wondered if she looked normal for a human, if she would be considered freakish, or even pretty. Certainly the Splicers couldn't be how normal people looked, could they?

No she had seen the pictures, Splicers were twisted monsters, they were no longer human. That line of thought led to an even harder question for her to answer. Meeting her eyes in the mirror Samantha asked herself a question that's answer truly scared her. If the Splicers weren't human was she?

Seeing slight movement in the mirror Samantha's eyes flicked behind her and met a pair of glassy bloodshot eyes. With a yelp Samantha spun around raising her arms in a desperate attempt to fend off the Splicer behind her.

Yelling at the top of its lungs the Splicer grabbed her head and slammed it brutally against the mirror. Falling to the ground with a whimper holding her head and hoping that the pain would stop, Samantha was unprepared for the vicious kick that would impact her jaw. Screaming loud enough to shatter the rest of the mirrors in the restroom, and fueled by fear she kicked out with her leg in an attempt to drive the Splicer off. It dodged the flailing limb and kicked her in the stomach before falling on top of her, grabbing her throat with both hands.

"Little shit! You thought you could s-steal from me?" He bashed her head against the hard ground disorienting Samantha further.

"Me?" Bang.

"This is my c-castle!" Bang.

"You can't st-steal from me in my castle!" Bang.

"I own everything here!" Bang.

Blinded, suffocating, and dazed by pain Samantha flailed her arms around and managed to make contact with her attackers face. Pulling back her arm and hitting the creature with all the meager might her body could muster, she tried to break free from her attacker. Unfortunately her attacker outweighing her at least two to one and seemingly blinded by rage, ignored the hit against his head.

Losing consciousness Samantha's body began to spasm, her right hand clawing weakly at the twisted face of her attacker. As the life faded from her, Samantha felt, as if from a distance, her hand getting warm.

Suddenly finding that she could breathe again, Samantha turned onto her side coughing desperate for air. Looking around fearfully she saw her attacker holding its face, skin blackened screaming at the top of its lungs. One eye ruptured from the heat and its good eye fixed on her it lunged with a shriek.

Screaming, she thrust her hands forward blasting the abomination back with a sudden burst of fire. Writhing in agony and attempting to gurgle out a plea for mercy, its eye locked onto hers. Beginning to back away unsure of what to do now Samantha saw that blue zigzags were slithering along her arm.

The pitiful creature attempted one last lunge at her, gurgling menacingly. Tackled to the ground Samantha grabbed the Splicers head with both hands. The screams the creature gave off physically hurt her ears, as its flesh melted and its remaining eye popped.

Samantha lurched backward, horrified with the realization that she had just unzi-killed someone. Sobbing she fled to the nearest toilet and emptied the contents of her stomach into it. Once she was done she staggered to the broken remnants of the mirror. Looking into it she saw her reflection twisted in the broken mirror, and realized the answer to her earlier question.

She might not be a Splicer, but she was not a human either.

()

The creature's leg did not feel at all like David had thought it would. Unlike a normal limb it was porous, spongy, and bent when he slammed into it. Sidestepping and kicking David in the chest, it turned and began yanking on its cleaver in an effort to release it from the confines of the pipe.

"Meat shouldn't fight so much! It makes it tense and gamey! I like mine meat tender!" With a final tug it managed to retrieve its cleaver from the pipe, and received a burst of superheated steam to the face for its trouble.

Taking its bloodcurdling shrieks as a sign it was at the very least stunned, David restarted his desperate run to safety. Darting out of the steam filled hallway he began sprinting in the first direction that came to mind.

Taking corners at random and ducking through a rundown bar, David sought to evade his pursuer. He could already hear the pounding of its feet and the rhythmic bashing of its cleaver as the abomination was somehow still able to gain ground on him.

Looking over his shoulder to see if he could yet see his hunter gaining on him, David was not looking where he was going as he burst through the doorway into what once might have been a restaurant. Body slamming into something far softer then the metal wall he hade been expecting, he lost his footing and brought whatever he had hit down with him.

Still dazed from the chase, David looked up only to realize that he was currently pinning a woman to the ground. Though judging from the noticeable growth on her shoulder and the almost characterized proportions of her body David wasn't sure if woman was the right term.

The high pitched grating voice that suddenly began shrieking didn't help David's disorientation. "Gah! Get his stinkin ass offa me Dennis!"

"Right, one pretty boy getting his ass handed to him comin up", Responded a voice so deep it sounded more akin to several rocks bashing together then anything a human voice box could muster.

With a surprised yelp David found himself hoisted off of the ground, with all the effort it might take one to lift a kitten, and turned to face a monstrosity. It was easily eight feet tall and nearly that large from shoulder to shoulder, its shirt, looking as if it would be obliterated if it so much as flexed, was held on it by three buttons that looked like they were on their last legs. Its head was small, at least when compared to the rest of its body; it had two beady black eyes, mounted in the middle of its head, which gazed at David with something akin to cunning.

"So, little shit, you got any last words before I break you like a toy?"

"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to hit… ummm I don't know her name. I was being chased by someone who wanted to kill, and eat me from the sound of it."

"Pft, you think I'm stupid you little wanker? If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that piss pore excuse for somefink like that I'd be a very rich man. So… sorry, time to die. Don't worry though I'll make it quick, ha, I'm good at that."

Closing his eye in preparation for his imminent crushing David was interrupted by the arrival of his would-be killer.

"MINE!" With a dull thunk the attacker's cleaver was buried as deep as it could go into the back of the brute that was holding David. Grunting in what sounded more like surprise then pain; it dropped David and spun around ready to engage its newest irritant.

"Little fuck! You actually think that was a good idea?"

"MY MEAT! MINE! MINE! MINE! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!"

Cracking his neck, the brute chuckled softly before muttering to itself. "Huh pretty boy wasn't lying, wadda you know."

Brought back to reality by the deranged Splicer attempting to punch it, the brute sighed and rolled its eyes, before grabbing the Splicer with both hands and lifting it, flailing, off the ground.

"MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME? MINE!"

"Right, don't worry you brainless little oaf I'll make it quick. I'm good at that."

Using one hand to hold the Splicer's chest, the brute grabbed its left arm and began pulling. With a pop and a spray of blood the Splicer's arm was yanked effortlessly from its socket. Tossing the severed limb aside, and ignoring the bloodcurdling scream from the Splicer, the brute grabbed its head and began to squeeze.

"You should feel a might honored, you know." Crack.

"It's been a while since I've broken a Splicer." Crack.

A slight chuckle, "Judging from your pointless flailing, you've realized that you ain't goin to live through this." Crack.

"Well, if I let every little wanker who buried a cleaver in my back live it wouldn't set much of a standard, now would it?" Crack.

"Admittedly you're the only person stupid enough to have done that, but the point remains." Crunch.

"I mean we can't have word goin around that ol' Dennis is gettin soft now can we? Ah well, it looks like you won't be aswerin me does it? Not that you can answer that question either. After all your head's lookin a bit on the crushed side. Well at least I think thas what it looks like, I'm no doctor."

"Right," Turning towards David, the beast grabbed him effortlessly and depositing him on his feet, "Looks like you weren't lyin pretty boy. So it looks like I don't need to dismember you. On the other hand, looks like I just saved your life so you're with us for now. That is, unless you want to dispute this fact?"

"Ummm, no. No dispute here."

"Good, always nice to see that you're not the run of the mill idiot thas around here normally. Frankie, give this little shit a gun!"

Grumbling to himself, another Splicer shambled up. The left side of his face hidden by a goiter, all the fingers on his left hand fused together. His right leg was swollen from the calf down, the pant leg torn and whatever shoe once fit on his foot had broken long ago.

"Right pretty boy, you used a gun before?"

"Erm, no?"

Sighing and rubbing its temple Frankie turned towards Dennis, "That's great, just fucking great! Boss you still want to give him a gun?"

"Why not he can't be that dangerous, how much harm could he do?"

Deciding to add her input for the first time, the female Splicer spoke up. "This is the idiot that slammed into me! We aren't going to hurt him, even a little bit?"

"Unbunch your panties Veronica, the little guy didn't mean ta hit you, after all, he was being chased by a cannibal. I really doubt that people enjoy gettin et."

"Alright boss could you shut up the skank and concentrate. What gun you want to give the pretty boy?"

"Christ, you got any experience at all pretty boy?"

"No I already said that."

"Right, give 'im a shotgun, that don't need much aimin does it?"

Looking skeptical, Frankie reached into his pack and handed David a shotgun, along with some ammo. Pointing out the various upgrades that he'd installed including electrified rounds, a hydraulic pressure array to increase the velocity of the pellets, and a clip enabling quicker and easier reloading when compared to its un-upgraded counterpart. After briefly quizzing David on the locations of the safety and other such things that he would need to know, and getting a satisfactory response, Frankie made his decision.

"Pretty boy's got the basics. I still wouldn't stand downrange from him if I was you boss, Veronica you on the other hand might want to, it might be an improvement."

"Up yours you lazy eyed fuckup."

Glancing between the obviously barely functional duo, David turned towards Dennis who was apparently the leader. "Is there anyone else in this little group?"

"Umm, you've seen Frankie, 'es good with guns and fixin things. And you saw Veronica, she's good with guns too, not so much fixin things. There's Twitchy you haven't met 'im yet, 'es our sneakin stealthy type person, 'es off doing stuff along those lines right now. And there's me, I'm the brains of this operation, and I hit things, things that generally don't get back up."

Pausing and looking at the gun, he figured that they might not be the most stable bunch, but at least they weren't actively trying to kill him. They seemed like they might protect him if they stuck together, all things considered, things could be worse.

"Who's the smooth skin boss? Do you want me to gut it?" Turning to acknowledge the new entity entering the room, David felt his eyes widen. This new arrival was the least human looking creature he had met here, even when compared to Dennis. Its entire body seemed stretched giving it a height of nearly seven feet. Its legs in particular were elongated, both of which including an extra backwards facing knee joint. Its fingers were incredibly long, ending in short claws. Its toes, three on its left foot, two on its right, were almost as long and flexible as its fingers. The entire left side of its face looked melted resulting in the loss of his left eye. A skeletal nose and small needle like teeth spaced randomly throughout its heinous mouth completed the lovely picture.

"What pretty boy? 'es a new guy, a test case if you will." A chuckle. "No need to kill 'im Twitchy, at least not yet."

A low growl reverberated throughout the room. "My name is Reggie, _Reggie_ you ox! Not Twitchy."

"Watch your tone Twitchy I might take offence. Anyway I take it you found 'em?"

Huffing slightly but otherwise ignoring the thinly veiled threat, Twitchy answered."Yes, both nearing Spencer's Tavern."

"Type?"

"Just a Bouncer Daddy, nothing that we can't handle."

A rumbling chuckle, "Good! Alright let's get movin lads! Daddy's waitin!"

Stepping forward David caught the attention of the brute of a Splicer. "Wait what are we doing exactly?"

"Oh, you didn't know? We're hunting a Daddy, pretty boy! And when we get it, that Adam's ours, not yours! At least not until we know that you ain't gonna stab us in the back. After saving yer sorry ass I think that seems quite fair don't you?" Extending a mammoth paw in David's direction it paused raising an eyebrow. "Deal?"

Narrowing his eyes in determination David grabbed the behemoths meaty paw and shook it. "Deal."

A smile spread slowly across the craggy face of the brute, like a fissure opening in the ground, revealing jagged broken teeth. "Excellent!"


	4. Death of an Innocent

DEATH OF AN INNOCENT

Sneaking, David decided was not something he was particularly good at, though when compared to the mammoth Dennis, he might as well have been the god of sneaking.

CRUNCH! "Bloody 'ell! Why did all these idiots leave their shit where some enterprising person like me could step on it?"

Slinking silently from the shadows, Reggie huffed in annoyance. "Maybe if you looked where you were putting your oafishly large feet boss, you wouldn't crush every breakable object in this damn city."

"Watch it Twitchy! Or I might be forced to crush you!"

An irritated hiss was his only response.

Still feeling woefully under informed about the situation in general, David asked a question that had been buzzing around the back of his head for a while now. "So what exactly is a Daddy?"

With a disgusted huff Veronica turned towards him, not even trying to hide her contempt. "You don't know what a Daddy is? How the hell do you not know what a Daddy is? What rock did you crawl out of?"

"Umm, a rock with a lovely blue dome over it and wind, that I already really, really miss. Thank you very much."

The group paused to stare incredulously at David, that is except for Veronica. With a growl she pinned David to the wall. "You know how to get to the surface? Where's the exit? Take me there! Now!"

With a slight rumble deep in his chest, Dennis pried her off of David effortlessly. "Calm down Veronica! You and I both know that tryin to leave the city ends with you gettin blown the 'ell up by one of that blond hag Lamb's torpedoes!"

Flipping silently down from a rafter, Reggie paused looking at David with his one eye. "That's not right boss. Things entering Rapture also get blown to smithereens. How'd it get here? What entrance did it take?"

"I took the entrance at the lighthouse. Why?"

"That's the main entrance to Rapture. Ryan wanted that to be accessible to anyone who was 'worthy of a place in utopia'. That Bathysphere is untraceable by the torpedoes, it can't get shot down."

Rumbling slightly Dennis turned towards them. "If thas true, why didn't others leave that way?"

With an irritated hiss, Reggie turned towards the leader of this merry band of misfits. "Because that asshole Jack broke the lower control panel when he left that way, he wanted us to be stuck in this hell hole. Didn't think that the world could handle people of our power. However, now that it brought that bathysphere down to us…"

A grin split the craggy features of the brute. "We can use it to get outta this 'ell hole! Nice job Twitchy I can really see how much you chip in with the group!"

As Reggie jumped silently back up into the rafters, with an irritated hiss, Frankie nodded and stepped forward, "Boss that's a great idea and all but we can't just leave, we need Adam, and lots of it. We need to hit this Daddy, and at least two others. Worst of all, we'll need to save most of it for the surface. We all know how bad withdrawals are!"

"Right thas the plan then. We hit this Daddy, and find others. Only use enough Adam to take the edge off! We're takin the surface boys!"

Rubbing his temples in irritation David sighed. "That's all well and good guys, but can we please go back to my original question? What in God's name is a Daddy?"

"Christ, pretty boy you really are from up top! A Big Daddy's this big ol' guy in a diving suit. The Bouncer type, that we're hunting, is the bulkiest type o' Big Daddy, it's got this big ass drill attached to one hand, and it ain't afraid to use it. The problem with their design is that they got no ranged weapons, so's all you's got to do is attack it from range while I beat on it!"

Turning a corner David noticed the enormous sign looming over a medium sized doorway, a sign for Spencer's Tavern. "So this is it, right?"

Eyes narrowed in concentration, Dennis nodded his head. Glancing around the area he pointed towards a small alcove at the top of the stairs. "Frankie, up there, use yer crossbow. I want explosive bolts ready!"

Nodding, Frankie moved off, pulling his crossbow out and loading bolts with red paint on them into the chamber.

"Veronica, I want you behind that overturned dresser. Use yer Tommy gun, I want armor piercing rounds!"

Sighing, she nodded. "Right, just a second boss."

"Right, pretty boy I want you behind the dresser with Veronica. Get that shotgun ready with that electricity upgrade you got, you don't need no electric rounds. I'd say use those 'splosive rounds Frankie gave you."

"Yeah I'll be on that. What's Reggie doing?"

"What you mean Twitchy? 'es goin to get its attention, now move yer ass!"

"How will I know when he's got its attention?"

"Believe me, you'll know! Now MOVE!"

Jogging over to Veronic, he knelt down next to her. "So what's the plan when this thing attacks?"

Rolling her eyes Veronica sighed, "We shoot it and stay the hell out of its way! Trust me you don't want to be near it when it gets mad!"

The waiting was killing David, the nervous anticipation coiling around his stomach. It felt like it had been an hour, though it had only been a few minutes. Trying to expel some nervous energy he turned towards Veronica. "So how will we know when it's going to happen?"

"Shut up you idiot! Listen!" Pausing, David concentrated on his ears listening for anything out of the ordinary. An inhuman scream of rage pierced the silence, seconds later Reggie burst through a second story window, flipping through the air grabbing a rafter and scuttling away along the ceiling, cackling all the while.

A series of heavy echoing footsteps began heading towards the doorway into the tavern. Following Veronica's example he propped his gun up against the top of the dresser, readying himself for whatever was heading there way.

The sudden silence from the tavern didn't ease David's nerves. "Where the hell is it, Veronica? Did it wander off?"

"The only way a Daddy gives up the chase is if it or its target is dead. Get ready!"

With a roar something mammoth shattered the entrance way. Blood coated drill revving, roaring a challenge, it began sprinting towards the group.

Roaring an answering challenge, Dennis yelled at the top of his lungs, "OPEN FIRE!" With that, he charged recklessly forward towards the metal behemoth.

()

Samantha sat in the fetal position, trying to ignore the corpse of her first kill as it lay on the ground. She had killed someone! Even if it was a Splicer she'd still killed it! No! She did nothing wrong! Splicers aren't human they're monsters! It deserved what it got!

Chocking back a sob she tried anything to block out the smell of the Splicers decaying body, not that it had smelled great to begin with. She had to leave! She couldn't stay here anymore.

Lurching to her feet she began stumbling towards her fort. She had to get home, home where she could loose herself in the memories of her time as a Little Sister. A time when everything was so much simpler, a time when she had been happily oblivious to the way the world really worked. A time when she had been a princess, when Rapture was her castle, and Mr. Bubbles was her knight in shining armor.

She found that above all she missed the sense of family. She missed the safety that Daddy had given her. She missed the easy friendship from the other Sisters. She missed the sense of belonging to something greater then herself.

Ending her slow shuffle towards home, she found herself surrounded by the faded but still colorful doodles drawn by her Sisters, the colorful sheets hanging from the rafters. Turning she saw her old vent and the doodles she had drawn of herself and Daddy, before Daddy had hurt her, and left her to die.

She could feel rage starting to bubble up inside her. It wasn't fair! Why had Daddy attacked her? She felt her skin heating up but blinded by rage she couldn't bring herself to care. Why hadn't he recognized her? She didn't notice the colorful sheets that had been her home for years burning around her. Why hadn't her Sister known she was a Sister as well? While her world burned around her, she didn't understand what had changed.

Her musings were interrupted by a piercing scream. "Mr. Bubbles! Mr. Bubbles please get up!" In an instant her directionless rage became a focused purpose. She might not be a Little Sister any longer but she was still part of that family even if they didn't recognize her, and she would let no one harm her family!

A vicious shriek tore from her lips as she darted towards the sounds of a young girl terrified for her life. As she ran she felt herself moving faster, she saw fire beginning to coarse around her arms. As she tore around the corner she saw a Splicer, a monster, towering over the crying form of a Little Sister, crying over her protectors body.

Shrieking again, she sent a focused blast of fire nailing the monster in the back and sending it flying into the wall with a sickening crunch, its neck bent at an awkward angle. She heard the bang from a gun, and on instinct flipped backwards barely avoiding the bullet. Another Shriek flew past her lips and she dove towards the she-monster brandishing a shotgun. Electricity coursing through her arms, she grabbed the monster by the head and ignoring its screams dug her thumbs into its eyes. After several seconds and with a final spasm it died.

Growling and casting her eyes around, she caught a burst of movement on the wall. She turned just in time to see a red hot meat hook flying towards her head. Knowing it would at best almost kill her, she extended her hands stopping it in mid air. Dropping the hook just in time to see the newest monster diving at her, she jumped towards it with a shriek and intercepted it in midair.

Ice forming around her hand turning it into a makeshift dagger, she sunk it into the chest of this newest monster. Allowing its momentum to knock her back, she tossed it over her head and into the wall. Jumping to her feet and quickly locating the monster's body as it began to get up. Eyes narrowed in determination, she shot a burst of lightning at the monster, causing it to writhe on the ground screaming. Allowing the lightning to continue coursing along her limbs she walked towards the monster that had tried to hurt her family.

Lowering herself so that she was face to face with it, she opened her mouth and said the last words she ever would. "I am not a terrified little girl anymore! Not like her! She is part of my family and I will not let you hurt my family!"

The monster's laughter was what made her realize that she had mad a mistake, starting to take a step back she suddenly found it hard to breath. Looking down she saw a meat hook buried up to the hilt in her chest. Glancing back at the monster in time to see it jump back to its feet and stab her with another meat hook, this one in her throat, feeling faint she started to collapse.

"Sorry beautiful, I don't really feel like dieing right now. And your little friend looks delicious right about now. I can smell the Adam on her." A sniff, "And you! Looks like I've got you for seconds!"

Her smile was what got the monster to loose its calm demeanor. "Why are you smiling? I'm going to gut you and that little brat!"

Twitching her hand she pulled the meat hook that she had deflected off of the ground through the air, and buried it into her attacker's temple.

She felt everything going dark. Her last thoughts were that she may be a monster like the Splicers, but at least she was a good monster. As if from a distance she felt herself being lifted off the ground.

"Is that a Sister?"

"It looks like it."

"Is it still alive?"

"I wouldn't be carrying it if it was dead."

"Why do you have her then?"

"She's a promising candidate for the protector mark two trials, if she lives. Gilbert said we should keep an eye out for any adolescent Sisters."

()

The unfamiliar kick of the shotgun almost resulted in David losing his grip on the gun the first time he fired it. Quickly adjusting his grip on the gun, he almost missed the yelled order. "MOVE!"

David dove out of the way just in time for the metal abomination to decimate the dresser, and backhand Veronica into the wall roaring with rage. Not even a second later the two titans slammed into each other, one metal the other flesh.

"Fuck you metal head!" Ducking under the Daddy's drill and delivering a punishing uppercut in return, Dennis roared at the metal creature, who roared back.

"Get clear!" Shoving the drill wielding abomination away, Dennis jumped backwards, as a red bolt zipped past and punctured its shoulder before exploding. As it screamed in pain, Dennis dove back at it, digging his hand into the gap in the creature's flesh he began ripping with all his strength. Even as it screamed in pain it managed to pull its drill back and sink it into Dennis' shoulder. As Dennis reeled back, shocked by the pain, it darted forward head butting him, before tossing him into the wall.

It turned towards David emitting a low rumbling growl. Realizing he was about to die, he shot at it. The creature didn't even react to the attack, just upped the volume of its growl and began walking towards him. David backed away, shooting at it desperately, despite its lack of reaction, he refused to die here.

Making an almost chuckling noise it reached forward and effortlessly pushed David over. Planting a boot on his chest it raised and started to rev the mammoth drill. Bracing himself to die, he caught a slight movement above the creature on the ceiling.

Dropping from the ceiling and onto the Daddy's back, Reggie sunk his meat hooks into the monster beneath him, one hook in one of the many eye holes, and the other in the creature's oxygen tank puncturing it. Laughing insanely, Reggie began hacking at the creature beneath him rapidly, causing the Daddy to begin bucking back and forth in an attempt to rid itself of the irritant riding on its back. Roaring in rage, the Daddy began to run backwards in an attempt to crush Reggie.

Springing off of its back and diving out of its reach, Reggie turned towards David. "Shoot it you idiot! In the shoulder, damn it!" Aiming as best he could David shot the creature in the shoulder causing it to jerk and roar in pain, as several thousand volts ran through its body.

"Frankie, shoot its tank!" Before he had even finished his sentence he saw a blur flying towards the creature's back. The explosive bolt impacted the previously punctured oxygen tank; the resulting explosion obliterated a large section of the beast's upper body ending the metallic abomination's unnatural life.

Frankie walked casually over to the prone form of Veronica before kicking her in the chest. "Wake up you idiot. You aren't that hurt. The boss on the other hand is, get going!"

Groaning as she slowly got to her feet, Veronica stumbled over to Dennis' prone form and reaching into her pack she pulled some type of med kit and broke it open over Dennis. The red liquid that oozed out flowed into his wounds quickly sealing them.

Lifting himself slowly of the ground, Dennis shook his head, before glancing blearily around. "Bloody 'ell, that was quite unpleasant! Fun, but unpleasant. So maybe next time we could… wait where's the brat?"

A second later a little girl who couldn't be more then eight was dropped from the ceiling as Reggie landed next to her. "Little shit tried to run away, I got it though."

Eyes widening as he saw them manhandling a child David started to step forward, but stopped when it lurched forward reaching for the creature they had just killed. "Daddy! Daddy get up! Daddy please get up! Daddy I need you!" A sob broke past her lips. "Daddy please. I don't want to be alone."

Her desperate sobs rooted David in his spot. "What are you going to do to the child?"

Veronica chuckled darkly, "That thing isn't a child! It's a bloodsucking little monster, and its got our Adam!"

Reggie stepped forward raising his hooks, before he was interrupted by Dennis. "No, the tike's mine Twitchy. I'm the leader, and I get the kill!"

Grumbling, Reggie stepped back. "Fine boss, but I get the next one!"

A dark chuckle escaped Dennis' lips. "Fine Twitchy, fair enough."

Pushing Veronica out of the way, Dennis knelt down next to the child grabbing it around the neck. "P-please, I just want Daddy again! Give me my Daddy, please."

For a split second David saw a look of pity flash across the giant's face. "Don't worry little tike, you'll be with yer Daddy soon enough. I promise."

With a crack he effortlessly snapped the child's neck before breaking open its chest, and after a second of fishing around inside pulling some kind of leech out. Sounding surprisingly sad he turned towards Veronica. "Give me those vials would you dear?"

With a slight nod she reached into her pack and handed him four vials. Vials that Dennis filled with a dark liquid the leech had begun vomiting up. Once they were filled he handed one to each of his Splicer group members. "Remember only use the minimum amount, we's got to stock up for the surface."

Turning from the bodies of the child and her protector with a sad sigh and a shake of his head, Dennis motioned for the others to follow. "C'mon lads, lets get 'ome." He sighed quietly. "I need a drink." Dennis and his followers wandered off towards their home, leaving a horrified David to catch up, and come to terms with assisting in the death of a child.


	5. Men not Monsters

MEN NOT MONSTERS

The walk was surprisingly silent; even Dennis' normal penchant for accidentally destroying scenery didn't interrupt their silent stroll. If David didn't know better he'd think that the group of inhuman individuals arrayed around him were feeling remorseful for what they did.

A cackle broke the near overwhelming silence, as Veronica began laughing uproariously. Well, maybe most of them were feeling remorseful. "Did you see her go down? Did you see her face? God it gets me every time! And that crack when you snapped her like a twig boss! It was great!"

"Veronica, shut the 'ell up! I'm not in the mood!" With a frustrated sigh, Dennis turned and shattered a nearby column with a single mighty blow

Frankie turned from his position at point to chuckle at Dennis. "Come on boss; don't tell me you actually regret killing that little tike? It's not like it's even a real kid!"

Turning from the recently destroyed column with a roar, Dennis screamed at his crony. "You think I enjoy offing kids ya sick fuck? I know we need it, I know it's the only way we can get it, and I know it wasn't really a kid! Don't mean I got to like it!"

With a dull thump, Reggie landed in front of the group. "I've got the door open, we can head in anytime. Oh and boss, for what it's worth, I agree with you. It may be necessary but that doesn't mean we've got to enjoy it."

An audible sigh announcing his mild irritation, Dennis spun to face Reggie. "Thanks Twitchy, your 'eartfelt words of comfort are much appreciated."

With a soft grumble, Reggie motioned for the others to follow him. After following Reggie for several minutes through the winding corridors of Rapture, they came to what appeared to have once been a bank called the Vault of Sinclair.

Motioning David to follow when he paused to glance around this new area, Reggie walked them towards a backroom. To David's surprise there was a large section of the wall that had been pushed back revealing some kind of staircase heading downward into the dark. Once the last person had headed through the gap in the wall, Dennis turned and pushed a button on the wall, sliding the wall back into place effectively hiding the entrance.

"How'd you find this place?"

"Some guy was workin on this place as a safe house for 'imself and 'is family, durin the civil war. Unfortunately fer 'im he was killed by some Splicers before 'e could move 'is family 'ere, no clue what 'append to them. We stumbled onto this place by accident, and were able to find the secret button on the outside, that opened the wall. There's also this one 'ere on the inside, like you saw."

David followed his somewhat monstrous new allies into the dark, as they entered the main area of this safe house. Three of the walls and the floor were thick glass allowing an incredible view of the nearby ocean floor. The last wall was stocked from head to toe with food supplies and water. There were several beadrolls on the ground, a small grill in a corner, and a small room off to the side that likely lead to a bathroom.

Trundling over to the wall covered with supplies, Dennis grabbed some kind of liquor off of the wall. Quickly biting the top off, he took a brief swig and sat down with a thump and sigh. "Make yerself comfy newbie, our casa is your casa, or somefink along those lines. Feel free to eat or drink anythin off of that there wall, that doorway leads to the baffroom. You'll be expected to go out fer supplies like the rest o us, though we's good fer now."

Veronica began to prepare herself for sleep, picking up a bedroll and tossing it onto the ground; she lay down with a sigh closing her eyes. "Shut the fuck up, all of you! I'm getting my beauty sleep!"

Frankie shook his head as he lay down to sleep, chuckling harshly. "Trust me skank, there aren't enough hours in the day!"

Veronica sighed irritably as she readied herself for bed. "Fuck you droopy eye, at least I try to maintain my looks you ugly bastard!"

Groaning Dennis tossing David a bedroll, as he slowly lay down on two bedrolls laid out parallel to each other. "Get some sleep all 'o you. I'm gettin too damn old fer this!"

David dragged his bedroll to the far corner of the room, where he laid down and spent hours thinking about what he had done, the girl he had helped murder, and if his family would ever understand.

()

Hours later, still awake David was alarmed by a sudden movement near his head. Jerking into a sitting position he was greeted by an unexpected voice. "Something's wrong with it, I can tell. It's distressed."

"Jesus Reggie! Don't sneak up on me like that! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sneak? I didn't sneak up on it. I've been watching it for hours now. I know it hasn't been sleeping. What is wrong with it?"

"You've been watching me? For hours? Why?"

"It was obviously not sleeping, I was curious. Why?"

"I was thinking. I miss my family, and I don't understand why we killed that child!"

"I had a family once, not sure if it cares, but I did. A wife and a child, they were killed in the civil war, killed by some insane Splicer looking for a hit. Look at me. Look what I've become. I know I'm most likely worse then the Splicer that took them from me. What would they think if they saw me now?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Of coarse not, how could it?"

"You called yourself a Splicer. What is that?"

"We are Splicers, well us not you. We've used Adam to augment our natural abilities, it changed us over time. We became this, no longer human."

"Wait, Adam is that stuff we got from that poor girl, right?"

"Yes, we need it. Adam is addictive, each transformation requires more and more to stay stable. We begin to hallucinate, see the memories of others. Without a constant supply we would loose all sense of self, become little more then a raving lunatic, an animal." A sigh escaped the ruined beings lips. "Like your cannibalistic friend from your arrival."

"Why did you use it at all?"

"We didn't know enough about it. We saw all the positive effects and none of the negative." With a small sad shake of his head, Reggie continued his monologue. "By the time the general population started to show severe adverse side effects it was too late. Too many were addicted, too many needed it. People sold their belongings, their families, even themselves, anything for another hit."

"Couldn't you, I don't know, wean yourself off of it?"

"No, not that I know of, like I said we would become animals or worse."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know"

"Of coarse not, how could it?"

"What do you know about that child we killed?"

"Hmmm, the Gatherer, or "Little Sister", they were designed to gather Adam from the corpses of those that died, so that it could be reused. The creature we fought was a protector, or "Big Daddy", it was created to protect the Little Sisters from crazed Splicers who would attempt to take advantage of them… like we did."

"Before Ryan's utopia became Ryan's hell, I was a scientist, Protectors were my specialty. Those poor creatures, horrible amalgams of flesh and metal, Adam was used to increase their muscle mass, and decrease their higher brain functions. Their organs were grafted to their suits, and they were designed to feel a hormonally enforced urge to protect those children. What we did to them was horrible, inexcusable."

"You were a scientist?"

"Yes, sad isn't it? I was a scientist." Gesturing towards each of their companions in turn he continued. "Veronica was a model and singer, Frankie was the head engineer of Dionysus Park before the whole place flooded, not that that was his fault. And our "great leader" the one snoring surrounded by all that alcohol, he was a dock worker at the fisheries. Ironic no? Adam leveled the playing field for everyone."

"Why are you talking to me? You barely know me."

"Reggie, it called me Reggie. No one else does. It has no idea how dehumanizing it is to be called a nickname for years at a time. You loose yourself, even if it didn't know, it helped me. I thank…you."

Taken aback David nodded slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Of course it didn't. How could it?"

Loosing a surprised chuckle, David grinned. "So I'm it again?"

With a soft laugh, Reggie nodded in response. "It would be bad if the others thought I actually liked it. It would ruin my brooding, antisocial reputation."

"Aren't you going to sleep? It must be late, right?"

"I don't sleep, not anymore. Being a scientist is competitive, especially in Rapture. I Spliced in order to get ahead and lost my head in the process." Giving David a shrewd look he narrowed his eye. "It is fairly observant isn't it?"

"I do have a name Reggie. David, my name is David. It's not that hard to remember, really."

"It has a good name, I'll give it that." Standing slowly from his crouched position and cracking his neck, Reggie nodded towards David. "Goodnight, I hope it sleeps well. I'm going to go scouting, might as well do something productive while I'm awake, not that I have a choice. Don't worry about closing the wall back up; I'll do it as I leave." Pausing one last time before he left, Reggie lowered his head almost sadly. "That child we killed, it wasn't a child, not really, not anymore. It was a monster, the tortured form of a child abused by those that should have protected it. Putting them down is a favor, like removing a terminal patient from life support. It's not murder, not really, just euthanasia."

With that final cheery thought, Reggie left to scout the area, leaving David to ponder his parting words.


	6. The Warehouse

THE WAREHOUSE

"Up, get up pretty boy, times a wastin! Come on, move yer ass!"

Groaning slightly, and feeling more tired then before he fell asleep, David sat up just in time to catch a can of what looked like ham that Reggie tossed him. Nodding towards Reggie he glanced around. "What are we doing now?"

"Twitchy was bein all sneaky like last night, and found a promising source of food and other supplies."

Nodding, Reggie stepped forward. "Some insane Splicer's fortified himself inside an old warehouse, one that was used for holding food and medical supplies from the surface back in the good old days. He's not a member of Lamb's cultists, and so he hasn't been supplying them with food. He's only been feeding himself for all these years, and as such he'll only have used a fraction of the supplies a group would have."

"Right as Twitchy said, there's a veritable food and medicine 'splosion in there, and we're goin to take it!"

"If you would be so kind as to let me finish you oaf, I've still got some things to say! The Splicer is a Houdini Splicer, meaning he's going to be using Plasmids against us and be teleporting around. He's also got a fairly advanced security system set up. I got past it last night by climbing trough the vents and using the Security Bull's-eye Plasmid, but you all are not going to be able to do that."

"Right, as Twitchy said, this is goin to be kind of tough, Twitchy is goin to sneak in and open the place up for us. Me and Veronica are goin to storm right in once Twitchy gets it opened up. Frankie and pretty boy will come in after us and cover our rears. Everyone clear on the plan?" A series of yeses answered Dennis' question. "Good boys, lets go!"

()

The Warehouse on the Warf that was what the sign said, a harmless enough name, but something about it sent chills down David's spine.

"I got in through that duct last time I was here." Reggie said pointing toward a duct that couldn't have been more then two by two feet.

David paused, eyes widening in disbelief. "Jesus Reggie, how in God's name did you fit in that?"

"I'm…flexible for lack of a better word."

Grumbling, Dennis pushed towards the front of the group. "How long will we have to wait Twitchy? I'm not a patient man."

"Ten minutes maybe, probably quicker. I already did it once, shouldn't be hard to do it again."

"Good, get to it Twitchy, I'm hungry!"

Leaping to the top of the sign, before leaping again and grabbing onto the vent, Reggie turned back towards Dennis determined to get the last word in. "Dumb fuck! Reggie, my name's Reggie, it's not hard to remember really." Reggie then dove into the vent before Dennis could retort.

"Little shit! Don't think I won't remember that! You insult me in front of my boys? You better get yer job done in record time Twitchy, or I'm goin to hurt you!"

()

After several minutes Dennis finally lost his meager patience. "Twitchy you idiotic git, it's been ages! Why the 'ell isn't the door opening?" Seconds later the heavy metal door that blocked entrance to the warehouse opened silently. "Took the little wanker long enough, Veronica move yer ass! You two wait a few, then come in after us." With that Veronica and Dennis wandered off into the warehouse, leaving David and Frankie alone together.

"Hmmm, that's a hydraulic door. If that thing's safety was overridden it would slam shut and crush anything under it. I'm surprised that the idiot who lives here, didn't rig them to do just that."

Glancing towards his inhuman companion, David raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know that? What are you, an engineer?"

A derisive laugh slipped past Frankie's twisted lips, "I'm not an idiot! Don't play coy. I know Twitchy talked to you about us, don't know why."

"Maybe because I treat him like a person, and call him by his real name, not a nickname that he despises!"

"Want to know why we call him Twitchy?" Before David had a chance to respond, he continued. "We found him sitting in the fetal position crying, surrounded by the bodies of his scientific colleagues. After his family died he'd managed to convince himself that his colleagues were stealing his secrets. He spliced himself into the thing you've seen, snuck into their lab and slaughtered them all, brutally. It was only after he went through their notes and realized that they weren't conspiring against him at all that he realized what a horrible thing he'd done."

"When we found him he was so damn jumpy that you couldn't say a word around him for at least six months without him near jumping out of his skin. So tell me, honestly, you want to humanize the monster who slaughtered thirty four other human beings due to a paranoid mental break down. I don't know about the others, but I call him that so that he doesn't forget. No matter how long he lives he will always be a monster, I want him to remember."

Feeling angry and more defiant then he had any right to be, David attempted to defend the closest thing that he had made to a friend in this hell hole. "What's your story? How'd you end up like this?"

"Me? I accidentally killed several hundred people when Dionysus Park flooded. I was in charge of its maintenance and I let one small maintenance oversight lead to the deaths of hundreds! All those people died pointlessly because of me! If that's not a reason to start splicing yourself into oblivion, I don't know what is."

Before David could respond to this surprising revelation, Frankie's radio crackled to life, they could hear gunfire and explosions in the background. "Alright boys, get yer asses over here! Damn Splicer sent the security bots after us. Now 'e's teleportin around the place blastin us with 'is damn fireballs, and best of all Twitchy's a no show! Get over here NOW!"

"Great, guess our heart to heart is over. What a shame, I think I might cry, really. Let's move, jackass!"

()

The dark confined hallways that led deeper into the warehouse were putting David on edge, as was his "partner". The darkness also increased the difficulty of avoiding the various items strewn about the warehouse's floor. For Frankie, who seemed to possess some sort of night vision, this wasn't a problem; David, on the other hand, was having a difficult time avoiding such obstacles.

"Quietly idiot, his security system's been rebooted," Pausing his brief speech, Frankie hugged the wall as he moved towards a nearby camera on its mount. "Or Twitchy fucked up, the point is if anyone gets caught by those damn cameras, the bots are getting called down on their asses." Motioning David to hold still, he sidled closer to the camera. Once it had rotated away from him he moved with surprising speed. His darting hand grabbed the wire connecting it to the wall and with a swift jerk; it ceased its endless vigil. A quick jerk of Frankie's head, motioned David down the hallway. "Let's go. Remember kid; be quiet, better safe then sorry when the security system is concerned."

After avoiding several more cameras and what appeared to be some kind of makeshift turret fashioned out of an office swivel chair, a motorized wheel, and some kind a machine gun, they came upon a large sealed metal door, through which the sounds of combat could be heard.

Frankie walked over to a panel next to the large door and pried the casing off. "Give me a second kid, and get your gun trained on that damn door! Lord only knows what the hell's going to come flying out of it."

"What's our radio frequency? I want to contact Dennis and tell him what door we're opening."

"Honestly?" Holding a hand out Frankie gestured impatiently. "Give me the damn thing; I don't want you breaking it!"

David tossed the bitter Splicer his radio, not in the mood for a fight. After a few seconds Frankie tossed it back to David. "There you go, shouldn't blow up in your hands…I think."

Almost dropping the radio in shock, David faced his Splicer compatriot. "W-what, the damn thing can explode?"

With a contemptuous flick of his wrist directed at the idiotic human looming over his shoulder, Frankie responded. "No you fucking idiot! Radios don't explode! Now point your god damn gun at the door!"

Now attempting to ignore his less then friendly companion David directed his attention to his radio, flicking it on. "Dennis…Dennis can you hear me?" Static. "Dennis, if you can hear me we are opening the southern most?" A nod from Frankie. "Southern most door in the main room. Get over there!"

Setting the radio in the pack given to him by his allies, alongside a meager supply of food and his father's binoculars, David turned to Frankie. "You think they heard us?" A small whirring noise accompanied his question.

Eyes wide in alarm, Frankie shot up from his crouched position. Whirling around, he pointed towards the far wall. "I think someone heard us."

Time seemed to slow for David as he turned to see this new threat, a lone turret spinning towards them.

()

Silently Reggie pulled himself through the duct, brow furrowed as he concentrated on his memories from the night before. This is the way. Shut up! I know! This way, quickly, they are relying on you. 

Turning down the appropriate path he came to a familiar intersection, where another vent bisected his. At a vertical perpendicular angle.That's not important, be quiet! ** Dislocate your hips now! You won't get through otherwise!** Popping his multi-jointed hips out of place he contorted his body in order to climb up the new intersection, trying, and failing, to ignore the agonizing pain that accompanied the action.

**Why are you helping them, idiot? They want to kill you, they are using you!** They might be but the boy isn't. David isn't! **How do you know? How are you sure? It's using you! Bending your weakness to its will!**

I'm not weak! With renewed determination Reggie tuned the song out and began hauling himself through the ducts at a quicker pace. The meat hooks weren't singing, for now at least, allowing him to concentrate on the task at hand.

Coming to a familiar grate he pushed gently on it, catching it before it could fall to the ground with a clatter. Hands grabbing each side of the access point he began hauling his warped body into the light. His head came first, darting back and forth to scan for threats. Then came his shoulders, snapping back into place once clear of the hole with a sharp pop. Digging his claws into the wall, he began pulling himself from his hole. Next came his chest, ribs springing elastically back into place, causing twinges of agony. Interesting adaptation, organs must be at least as heavily modified as the skeleton, and musculature, wouldn't survive otherwise.

Landing on the ground silently, Reggie cast his gaze around, quickly locating the control station. Deftly hacking it, he quickly gained control of the warehouse. Finger poised to open the main gate, his radio crackled to life. "Twitchy you idiotic git, it's been ages! Why the 'ell isn't the door opening?"

Hand shaking with rage, Reggie pushed the button opening the warehouse for the others. **See? They see you for what you are! A monster! If it wasn't using you, why didn't it speak up in your defense? It hates you too! They all hate you! **Glassy eye turning towards an ominous button, an idea crossed Reggie's mind, a horribly wonderful idea. **Reset the security systems! Kill all of them! They would do the same to you! **Don't do it, they trust you. Eye narrowing in determination Reggie hit the button…and all hell broke loose.

**Good! Let them die! Pick off the survivors then seal the fort! Congratulations, we've made a new home! **Static interrupted Reggie's brief self congratulations."Dennis…Dennis can you hear me? Dennis, if you can hear me we are opening the southern most…southern most door in the main room. Get over there!"

Alarmed Reggie turned towards the control consol. "No, no! Not him! Not him!" **What are you doing?** The display showed a turret activating near the intersection that David had identified. "No! No no no no no no!" Overriding the safeties he short-circuited the turret, disabling it. **WEAK! You're weak! It's using you! It will be the death of you!**

No, you are not weak. David is an innocent, like your colleagues were. He deserves protection. Make up for your crimes. I am Reggie… he calls me Reggie. **No! You are not Reggie! Reggie was weak! Weak and you are strong! Twitchy is strong! Twitchy doesn't need others! They hold you back! **Wrong, you are wrong! I'll protect them! Typing quicker then he had since his years as a scientist; Reggie began systematically deactivating security systems.

A small pop and a distracting cloud of smoke attracted Reggie's attention. "Thought you could conquer my fortress without a fight, did you?" Turning to face this new threat, Reggie pulled out his meat hooks. Unexpected, problematic, combat advised. **Disembowel it and feast! **The meat hooks, both Doctor and Twitchy were singing in agreement!Grinning widely, revealing black misshapen teeth, Reggie brandished his singing hooks awaiting his opponent to make the first move.

()

A hail of bullets was what he had been expecting, not a small explosion. Though now that he thought about it, David had to admit that he preferred the explosion to the hail of bullets, especially when Frankie had shoved David in front of himself.

An elbow to the ribs followed by a backwards head butt to the nose sent Frankie reeling away from David. Pulling his shotgun out of its holster David leveled it at his "partner". "What the hell was that? I'm not your damn bullet sponge!"

Spitting a small amount of blood from his broken nose, and taking a step back towards the door, Frankie smirked at David. "Let's get one thing straight pretty boy. It's survival of the fittest in Rapture nowadays. Without Adam and a cutthroat attitude, you'll die like all the rest." Shaking his head in contempt he continued, "I'm not dieing for anyone in our little "family" and none of them will die for you. Get that through your thick skull, and find yourself a hell of a lot of Adam, and you might, _might_ live long enough to get something out of this damn city. Otherwise your just dead weight kid and I drop dead weight."

"It's a wonder any of you are still alive if that attitude is shared amongst you."

"We're alive because none of us expect anything more then a cold business partnership with each other. If better prospects come along, and they most likely will, our little family is going to blow quicker then a poorhouse hooker." Chuckling derisively he turned back to the panel he had been working on. "Come on lets get a move on. The quicker we do this, the quicker we can go Daddy hunting, and if all goes to plan, get the hell out of this damn city!"

The fighting on the other side of the large door appeared to have stopped, whether that was a good or bad thing was yet to be decided. After several more seconds of Frankie fiddling with the control panel, the door slid open with a quite hiss. The room it revealed was large, and looked as if a war had gone on inside of it. Standing in the doorway bloodied and beaten but very much alive was Dennis, lurking off to the side having somehow avoided all damage was Veronica looking irritated as always.

"bout damn time you got that door opened! Until those damn turrets shorted out we were gettin swarmed by them and that damn teleportin bastard!"

With a start David turned towards Dennis. "Wait, did you say teleporting? You weren't joking about that earlier? This Splicer can actually teleport?"

"Yeah, why would I joke 'bout that? You surfacers ave really strange senses o umor." Eyes warily surveying the area he continued. "Looks like 'e ran off, 'e might be tryin to fix the security systems! We need to move!" Turning with surprising agility, Dennis began lumbering towards a door labeled security control. "I don't know about you all, but I fer one don't fancy eatin anymore lead then I already ave today."

Grabbing David by the shoulder as he walked past, Frankie moved to follow Dennis. "Surprisingly, I'd say that boss's right about that. Someone like this Splicer who's been here since the war would only relinquish this area over his dead body."

With one last wary glance towards the inactive turrets, Veronica followed the others towards the control room.

()

The screams were the first thing that was out of place. "Huh sounds like somethin's gettin dissected alive in there." Dennis chuckled, as in the background the screams reached their apex before chocking off with a gurgle. "This should be fun!" With a roar he reared back and ran at the door. He crashed through it effortlessly, and continued his charge into the room before jerking to a stop in surprise.

"Bloody ell," The others rushed into the room after him guns drawn. "Twitchy, what da ell'd you do ta im?" Stopping as suddenly as Dennis had, David was confronted with more blood then he had ever seen before.

Reggie stood before them, drenched in blood, hunched over the desiccated body of a Splicer. He hadn't reacted to the arrival of the others and was still hacking away at the body with his meat hooks. A choked gurgle leaked from the ruined creature's throat as it weakly waved its left arm in the air. The poor creature was still alive. Turning around, David emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground just outside the door.

With a shriek of rage Reggie sunk a meat hook into the creature's eye. Teeth bared, he grabbed its head with one hand and began to pull the hook sideways out the other side. A wet crack signaled the side of the creature's head giving away. A mix of brain, bone, and blood gushed from the now gaping hole in the pitiful creature's head, as its life ended.

"Christ almighty. Twitchy what the ell are you doin? Calm down ya daft wanker! The fightin's over!"

Reggie glanced up at the titan yelling at him, teeth barred. Taking a step forward he raised his meat hooks menacingly.

"What the ell you doin Twitchy? We're done ere lets go! Don't make me break you." yelled Dennis. Reggie brought his arm back ready to strike, only to jerk to a stop and drop his weapon to the ground.

Blinking confusedly, he glanced around, before taking several steps back. "S-sorry boss, the blood lust got the better of me. You know how that goes."

A derisive snort echoed throughout the small control room. "Right Twitchy, just don't let it happen again."

Moving past their hulking boss, the blood covered Splicer and its victim, Frankie moved on to the master control panel. "Everyone come here. I need to input your genetic signatures into the local security network."

David moved forward first. Following Frankie's directions he placed his hand on a sensor. "So how's this thing going to get our gen-damn!" Pulling his lightly bleeding hand away from the evil sensor, David glared at Frankie.

"Sorry about that pretty boy," quipped Frankie with a sarcastic wink and a smirk. "I should have mentioned that it would sting a bit".

As the others had samples taken, David left the blood encrusted room. Sitting down in the hallway he reflected on the fact that he was alone here, truly alone. The closest thing he had to a friend in this hell hole was a psychopath who had just brutally slaughtered someone. He had never felt this alone before.

"It's upset again."

Not glancing up from his brooding David barely acknowledged Reggie. "Yeah."

"Was it the Splicer?"

"Yeah, but not just that."

"Oh?"

"I'm alone here. My family probably thinks I'm dead, and I'm starting to think I might as well be."

Crouching down next to David, Reggie stared at him intently for several seconds. "No, it has already done better then most. Most would have died from the first Splicer that met them. Most would have panicked, possibly killed themselves by now." With a sudden twitch and a hiss Reggie's eye turned from David to the wall. "Shut up!"

"What? Did I say something?"

Head twitching Reggie's gaze shot to David as if he had forgotten he was there. He stared blankly for several seconds before shaking himself out of his daze and responding. "Sorry, I… think I should go. I will search for supplies and food. If the others ask tell them what I'm doing." Standing silently, Reggie stalked off into the darkness.

David sighed softly as he was left alone again to ponder the fact that he would never see his family again.


	7. A Monster's Wrath

A MONSTER'S WRATH

Breakfast the next morning was a meager affair, a can of fruit each and some water.

Groaning as he stretched his hulking arms behind his head, Dennis yawned. "Right, I'm tuckered out after yesterday. Shouldn't be much fightin today so I'm only goin to send two people to 'unt for supplies. Twitchy, you snuck us in there so you've got the day off. Frankie, you 'acked the 'ell outta dat place so you can stay 'ome too."

Loosing an outraged shriek, Veronica shot to her feet. "What the hell is wrong with you Dennis? I was with you when that idiot was attacking, why the hell do I have to go too?"

Leaning forward with a savage smirk Dennis responded. "Because I said so ya bitch!"

Veronica stormed over to the door choking back a growl. "Fine! Pretty boy move your ass, I'm not waiting!"

Sitting up affronted, David glared at his harasser. "So I don't even get to finish my lovely bowl of canned peaches?" Sighing softly, he stood. "Great, just great, this is exactly how I wanted to start my day."

As he got to the stairwell that would take him into the hellish city, Veronica tossed him his shotgun. "Come on newbie, let's get this over with."

Closing his eyes with a sigh, David readied himself to go. "I can already tell, this is going to be a great day."

()

"Dip shit! Catch!"

Turning in time to get hit in the head by a can of pork, David had to admit that this was truly a miserable experience. His expedition partner was a bitter angry person who had done everything in her power to make this little expedition as horrid as she could. This little outing of theirs which at best was going to be unpleasant, was turning downright horrid.

Picking the can up off of the ground and placing it in his knapsack, he glared at Veronica. "You are an incredibly bitter person aren't you?"

"Fuck you newbie, and hurry up. This shit is boring!"

Resigning himself to a miserable day, David followed the bitter bitch.

()

Protector M2-Theta surveyed Rapture, the shattered remnants of Andrew Ryan's dream. Nothing inside its borders was beyond her reach; no one inside its borders could escape her wrath. She would protect the innocents that came to harm in this city, and she would kill anyone who attempted to harm them.

Leaping gracefully from the peak of the tower on which she was perched, she swam downward towards Olympus Heights. Mother had told her that a sister had gone missing there recently. She knew that the poor child wasn't going to be alive but she was not just a protector to the Little Sisters, she was a protector to the system. She would retrieve the Adam that the monsters had stolen, and she would kill them.

Scattering a school of fish as she drifted down towards the oceans floor, she couldn't help but smile in excitement, she was looking forward to this next slaughter. The monsters would not escape her, she was not weak anymore.

Allowing her thoughts to drift back to the last time she had seen Mother, she remembered the words Mother had coldly spoken.

()

The bright lights in Mother's office hurt Theta's eyes. So much of Rapture was bathed in a perpetual twilight that the light caused her to wince in pain, not that anyone would notice through her armor so similar to Daddy's.

Mother's cold voice broke her straying thoughts. "Someone has hurt one of the Family's children, Sister. This cannot be allowed." The rage in her voice was well contained but Theta could detect it. Not rage at the death of a child, no never that, rage that someone actually had the nerve to go against Mother's grand plan. That someone was thinking of themselves and not the Family. "I want you to retrieve the Adam that was stolen, and I want you to kill those responsible. This sort of action cannot be allowed. No one can be allowed to harm the Family."

Turning to face Theta, Mother locked her cold blue eyes onto Theta's glowing red porthole. "Kill them slowly and painfully, if possible make others watch. They must all know that this course of action is unacceptable."

Nodding with a low growl, Theta began to walk towards the airlock. "The Rapture Family thanks you Sister. Keep up the good work, and remember wherever you go, your family is with you."

()

Drifting, almost lazily downward, past the many windows of Olympus Heights, Theta watched with detached amusement as the monsters that saw her fled in terror. They may be monsters but she was a monster made for killing other monsters, they should be afraid.

Reaching the level that Mother had designated, Theta concentrated, and felt the water's pressure leave her, replaced by the screams of a female monster being accosted by two males.

"Help! Please someb-umph" cutting off with a slight whimper the monster went silent.

Theta turned from the noise, let the monsters kill each other what did she care, Theta unsealed her suit and took a sniff of her surroundings. She could smell concentrated Adam in the air. The type only around when a Gatherer had died. Loosing a shriek that she knew any monsters within several miles would hear, she headed towards the body of the Sister she hadn't been quick enough to save.

She found it in a large room lit by an obnoxiously big neon sign. She didn't remember what the symbols on the sign meant though she could recognize some of them. The sign showed a man with an animal head drinking something out of a large mug. She didn't know what it was but she had to admit its horns were impressive. She passed the body of the Sister's Daddy lying in a pool of its own blood with its entire upper body blown open. Rest in peace Sir Bubbles.

Then she saw her Sister, and felt a wave of sadness hit her with the force of a train. The girl's blank eyes stared at her protector, hand reaching for help that would never come. Her small face that looked like it had spent more time smiling then anything else, was frozen in a look of sadness mixed with terror, dried tears stained her cheeks. Her neck was bent at an awkward angle; Theta found herself hoping that that had been what killed her and not some postmortem evilness done to her by her murderers. Most noticeably, her chest was ripped open most likely from her murderer taking her slug. Theta felt hers wriggle slightly in her tummy at the thought.

As suddenly as the wave of sadness hit her, one just as powerful, but made of rage followed. How dare they! How dare they kill a little girl to satisfy their needs! This just reinforced what she already knew, they were monsters and monsters had to die.

Loosing another bloodcurdling shriek, Theta turned from the carnage. There were monsters that needed to die.

()

Ignoring her compatriot, Veronica ranted as they worked. "God I miss Sydney! That city was wonderful! I should never have listened to that charismatic bastard Ryan!"

Turning towards Veronica, eyes wide, David decided to comment. He knew that the chances of it actually helping his relationship with the hag were next to nil but it was worth a try. "You were born in Australia? Wow, you don't have the accent at all."

Completely ignoring David, Veronica continued her rant as she gathered food from around the area. "Oh but your so beautiful Miss Whithers and your singing voice is divine, Rapture needs people like you. It's a city for the best of the best, and I would love for you to come."

David shook his head with a sigh. "Swing and a miss."

Throwing a can of tuna into her pack as if it had murdered her mother,Veronica continued. "Of coarse I thought he was actually interested in me, but noooooo! Pft No Gods, Or Kings, Only Man. Bullshit! If that man didn't set himself up as King, Czar, Pope, President, or some other fucking dictator, I'm the god damn Tooth Fairy!"

Loosing his patience David decided to comment again. "You're the Tooth Fairy? Holy shit! My Mom lied to me! You are real!"

Hurling a pep bar at David's head, Veronica growled at him.

David couldn't help but glare at Veronica. "Oh, so now you hear me? Seriously, what the hell? Okay I'm going to ask one more time, why don't you have an accent?"

With a Sneer at David, Veronica turned to leave, only for a bloodcurdling shriek to pierce the relatively peaceful atmosphere. Ducking down instinctively he looked around frantically, some small instinctual part of him telling him that whatever was making that noise was not something that he wanted to encounter. "What in God's name was that?"

Veronica's hand darted out covering his mouth; in a heated whisper she scolded him. "Shut the hell up you idiot! That's not something that you want to notice you…ever!"

Nodding against her hand, David pulled it away from his mouth so he could whisper his next question. "How far away was it?"

"I don't fucking know! We need to get back to the vault!"

()

Frankie hummed softly to himself as he headed towards the warehouse. He wanted to make sure that newbie didn't fuck anything up, and another opportunity to harass Veronica was always good.

Without warning, something akin to the shriek of the damned split the air. "Fuck!" Hefting his crossbow and quickly equipping armor piercing bolts, he headed back towards the vault. Veronica and the kid could go fuck themselves; he wasn't dieing to save anyone.

He couldn't locate where the hellish noise had come from, or even how far away it had been. Turning desperately back and forth he looked for anything out of the ordinary. He felt himself beginning to hyperventilate; this was not going to end well.

Another, if possible, angrier shriek pierced the calm air. He had never felt this kind of fear before; somehow he knew that he was being hunted. Terrified, he turned and began sprinting home.

()

Protector M2-Theta cast aside the body of the monster, drained of blood. Feeling the familiar rush of power fresh Adam gave her, and allowing herself a brief self-congratulations, she turned and began sniffing for the other monsters. Gritting her teeth slightly, she pulled the arrow the monster had shot her with from her shoulder, dropping it to the ground.

There were three left that she could smell, along with a large concentration of the stolen Adam. Two were with the Adam, while one was off by itself. Smiling to herself she turned towards the two and the Adam. She had always enjoyed scaring monsters. She wanted the loner to know that it was alone, to know that she would find it and take the Adam back. Scaring monsters was fun.

()

"Where the 'ells Frankie? 'e should 'ave been back by now!"

The tone of Reggie's voice caught Dennis' attention. "Boss…you should take a look at this."

Shambling over to Reggie he glanced at the security monitor Reggie was staring at in horror. As he looked at the monitor, Dennis felt an emotion he hadn't felt since his transformation…fear. "Oh fuckin 'ell."

The Big Sister was standing outside the secret entrance, Blood red porthole locked directly onto the hidden camera.

()

The monsters were hiding, frustrating but not enough to make her give up the hunt. While she could transport herself past the door, she couldn't be sure what was on the other side. Teleporting into a wall would end very badly for her. She would need to attempt to get line of sight to the area, and if her sense of direction was right, and it always was, that door led towards the ocean. The ocean she could do.

()

It had been minutes since the second shriek had pierced the night. Turning towards David, Veronica sighed slightly. "We need to get back to the vault! That thing could be hunting us!"

With a quick nod, David stood quietly, "Let's go!"

"_Mr. Bubbles, Mr. Bubbles, are you there? Are you there?" _

Shit! Spinning towards Veronica, David saw her gaze go distant, "Veronica, don't! We need to concentrate!"

"_Come and give me lollies, come and bring me toffees. Teddy bears... teddy bears._"

A smirk slowly spread across Veronica's face and a slight pop along with a reddish cloud of smoke signalled her disappearance. "Holy shit! How'd you do that? Veronica? Veronica? Where the hell'd you go? Shit! Please don't leave me alone here!"

The rumbling footsteps of a Big Daddy as it walked down the hallway towards David announced its closness and that of its charge. Hugging the wall, David held his breath, and hoped against hope that they would bypass the room he was in, ignoring the body that rested at the room's center.

"Come on Daddy! I can smell the Angel! Through here!" A small blond pale skinned girl skipped into the room humming to herself. She jerked to a stop, glowing yellow eyes wide and frightened as she saw David.

Little Sister and human stood frozen, mirror images of each other, staring at one another in fear. Tilting her head to the side, the child squinted critically at David. After a second she seemed to reach a decision, and a broad smile spread across her childish face. "Hi Mr! What's your name?"

"Ummm…I'm David."

Waving enthusiastically, the little girl greeted David. "I'm Amanda, Mr. It's nice to meet you!" Turning suddenly from David, she continued to skip towards the body on the ground, brandishing her harvester. Cruching down next to the body, she raised her arm and stabbed it into the desicated corpse.

Rumbling steps announced the child's protector entering the room. It was mammoth, taller then the one that Dennis and the others had fought alongside David. Instead of many small portholes like the first, it had one large glowing yellow porthole. While it wasn't quite as hulking as the first, despite it's taller stature, it held a formidible looking gun in its hands. Turning disinterestedly towards David, it stared at him briefly before moving off to flank its charge, moaning softly as it did.

It didn't kill him? Why hadn't it killed him? Stepping towards the two of them slowly he was rewarded with a rumbling growl from the creature. Okay, stay away from the kid and it won't eat you. Good to know.

Turning to leave the area, he was interupted by a machanical whirring noise, one that was ignored by both the beast and the child. Eyes wide, his gaze shot upwards and was rewarded with the sight of some sort of crane hefting a huge metal cargo crate. One that swung to a stop hanging ominously over the beast's head.

Veronica was going to crush it with the crate. The child was right next to the damn thing! She would be crushed along with it! Darting towards the girl while dodging around its growling protector, he snached her and began sprinting away. With an enraged roar the metallic abomination set its, now glowing red, sights on the one who had taken its charge…and was promptly crushed by the crate.

"MR. BUBBLES! NOOOOO!" Wincing and cluching his ear, which must be bleeding by now from the scream the child had given off, David stumbled out of the room.

He was greeted by a widly grinning Veronica, hands extended towards the child. In her excitement she seemed to be having trouble controlling her powers, as fire seemed to be dancing along her arms. "Good thinking buddy! I didn't think she'd get crushed, but it's better safe then sorry! Now give me the brat! We can split the Adam fifty-fifty, the others don't need to know!"

Another scream escaped the small child, as she cluched David desperatly. "No! It's a monster! I don't want to go with her!" Holding the girl close, David steeled himself for the decision that would most likely lead to his death.

Eyes hardening into a glare as he stared at Veronica, David gave his response. "No."

()

Protector M2-Theta found herself lost briefly as she stared at the ocean. It really was beautiful. The one view that hadn't changed as she had aged and her indoctrination had broken, Rapture's "skyline" was breathtaking. She felt herself begin to loosen, her body disappearing, as she returned to the ocean's cold embrace.

A scream broke her brief peaceful trance and halted her disappearing act. "Mr. Bubbles! Nooooo!" Head whipping in the direction of the noise she felt her body tense like a bowstring, readying herself for combat. She had already failed one Sister today, she would not fail another!

()

"No."

Veronica paused head tilting slightly, sick smile still in place, obviously not expecting that anwer. Her eyes went from friendly and congradulatory to cold and flinty in a heartbeat. "What did you just say?"

Putting the child down gently behind himself, where she promptly latched onto his leg, David kept his eyes locked on Veronica's. "I'm not giving you the girl. You aren't killing another little girl infront of me!"

Sick smile spreading even more Veronica answered. "It's not a kid, it's a monster! It's in pain! Can't you tell? We need to kill it!"

"I am not letting you kill her!"

Flames bursting into life along her arms Veronica stepped forward. "Are you sure kid? This is your last chance. You can either give her to me, or I can take her!"

Knowing that this wasn't going to end well, David acted first. Fist shooting out he punched Veronica square in her nose, which shattered upon impact. Turning, David picked the child up from the ground, and sprinted in the other direction, as, with a cry of rage, Veronica took chase.

Pulling his radio out, David contacted the others. "Dennis can you hear me? Veronica has gone completely insane! The crazy bitch is trying to kill me! Help would be greatly appreciated right now!"

Flying around a corner, as several fireballs impacted behind him, David waited impatiently for a response. After several seconds of tense running, his radio crackled to life and spat out Dennis' response. "Sorry about this pretty boy, but we're not leavin the vault for anything. You'd best get somewhere safe. You're not alone out there." Great, that meant that Veronica wasn't the only thing trying to murder him.

Before he could get through the door that led out of the warehouse, pain lanced through David's side, as something very, very hot hit him. Stumbling, he fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

Stepping onto David's new burn, Veronica crouched over him. "I feel like I should kill you right now, you little shit! But…" Grabbing David's chin she forced his head up so he could see the Little Sister cowering in fear. "I think I'll kill your little friend first, and let you watch!"

Sauntering towards the terrified little girl, Veronica gave David a mocking wink, before crouching down in front of the child. "Don't worry sweetie, I'll make sure this hurts a lot!"

Hand wreathed in fire, Veronica raised her fist, before with a surprised yelp she was sent flying through the air as she was hit by some kind of invisible force. Only to be caught by the throat by something standing at the end of the hallway. Holding the struggling Veronica by the throat, the creature studied her with something akin to detached curiosity through its blood red porthole.

Suddenly throwing its head back, the creature loosed a horrible shriek, one that physically hurt David's ears. And he had thought that the child's screams were piercing. Lurching to his feet, David began stumbling towards the still cowering child. The wet sound of something piercing flesh met his ears. Glancing over his shoulder, David saw the creature sinking some kind of spear, or maybe even a mammoth needle, into Veronica's stomach angled upwards to avoid the ribcage.

Grabbing the little girl off of the ground, David began running as the creature dropped Veronica's drained corpse to the ground. Just before he had cleared the doorway, it slammed shut, trapping him in the hallway with the creature. It advanced slowly, almost casually towards him, blood dripping from its needle. Head cocking to the side, it looked at him briefly before reaching out towards him.

With a scream, a familiar human missile slammed into the monster's back. "You will not hurt it!"

An irritated growl past the creature's lips as it began attempting to dislodge the madman perched screaming and slashing from its back.

Picking the little girl back up, he turned towards the fighting monsters. "Reggie! What the hell are you doing?"

Grunting with effort, Reggie cast an irritated glance towards David. "It really should run while it can! I will not be able to kill this monster, only delay it!"

"Why are you doing this?"

"That really doesn't matter now David! Run you idiot!"

Deciding not to question Reggie's motives, at least for now, David darted past the fighting creatures and ran out of the warehouse heading straight towards the vault.

()

With another shriek, Theta slammed the monster on her back into the wall causing it to yelp in pain. Stepping away from the wall and turning back to the partially crushed monster she looked curiously at it. Monsters run and hide; they don't help each other. Why had it helped the monster who had taken her Sister?

Loosing a gurgling laugh, the monster's glassy bloodshot eye met her porthole. "It didn't deserve to die…" A chocking cough, "It has a chance to run now! It has a chance to get away from monsters like you!" Eye glazing over, the monster looked into space, smiling softly. "I'll see you soon love, I'll see you soon."

Rage flooded her veins, tinting her vision red. The monster had tricked her! Loosing a final shriek, Theta raised an armored boot. Theta smiled in satisfaction behind her helmet, as she ended its pointless, pathetic existence with a wet crunch.


	8. Clash of the Titans

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Tripping over someone's corpse, even if it's someone you're not particularly fond of, is not a fun interruption anytime. When you're fleeing for your life, however, it's downright terrible. David learned this life lesson the hard way, when, during his all out sprint for safety, he tripped over Frankie's drained corpse, still grimly holding onto his crossbow.

Grumbling to herself, the child that he had been carrying sat up. Her glowing yellow eyes surveyed him briefly as she raised an eyebrow, "You're really bad at piggyback rides Mr. Ordinary. They're not that hard! Just don't trip over angels, or let the meanies get you!"

Chuckling under his breath and allowing a smile to spread across his face, despite the situation, David nodded. "Okay, I am very, very sorry, and I beg your forgiveness. I'll work on it, I promise. But we need to hurry; the monsters are on the way." Nodding more solemnly then a child ever should, the Sister allowed herself to be lifted yet again, as the chase began once more.

()

"Twitchy you fuckin idiot! Why'd ya 'ave to run off? I specifically said that I wasn't gonna open the damn vault. I know you 'eard." Growling in irritation, Dennis tossed his latest bottle of alcohol against the wall. It was times like this that Dennis missed the ability to get drunk, one of the many downsides to his monstrous condition.

Why would he go and save the newbie anyways? Twitchy was a monster, almost as bad a Veronica, he shouldn't care about the fact the kid was going to die. Dennis certainly didn't care that the newbie was going to get killed by the damn Big Sister.

"No! No! They left, they 'ave to deal with the consequences o there actions. I'm not 'elpin them!" He was Dennis damn it! He didn't go out of his way to save people! With a sigh he grabbed another beer off the wall. If that was true, then why did he feel so bad about it?

Tossing another beer against the wall, he stood. "Ahhh, fuck! I'm gonna 'ate myself fer this!" Hitting the button that he'd been eyeing since Twitchy had left, Dennis left the safety of the vault.

After all, if they all died, how would he beat them for insubordination?

()

Leaving the maintenance areas he'd been running through for what felt like an eternity, David entered the commercial zone, only to be confronted with the last thing he had expected to see, Dennis lumbering his way.

Beady black eyes widening in surprise, Dennis waved him over. "Pretty boy! Get yer ass over 'ere!" David stumbled towards the giant, clutching his burnt side with one hand and holding the terrified child with the other. He stopped when he heard the hulking figure inhale sharply, knowing he'd been found out. Pointing an accusing sausage like finger towards the small figure cowering in David's arms Dennis asked the question that David had been dreading. "Pretty boy, what the 'ell is that?"

Eyes clenched shut, hoping for the best, David answered. "She's Amanda, I think. I, um, I might have saved her from Veronica."

"Christ almighty! Newbie you let it tell you its name? You don't get to know them! They're a resource to be used! They're not 'uman anymore! Killin them is a kindness!"

Whimpering and clutching onto David's shirt, Amanda whispered. "Mr. Ordinary, please don't let him unzip me."

Obviously overhearing Amanda's plea, Dennis shook his head in shock. "Shit, kid! You let the little tyke give you a nickname?" Loosing a soft sigh, Dennis held out his hand. "Give it to me son; I'll take care of it. I know you won't want to be the one to do it, 'specially now that you's gotten attached to it."

Taking a quick step backward, David shook his head. "No, Dennis I'm not hurting a child."

"Look son, it's not 'uman, and it's not a kid. Thas a defense they use. They's been designed that way, its part of 'ow they've worked fer so long, anyone that 'as to deal with them feels like a monster fer 'urtin them!"

Before David could respond, another horrid shriek split the air. Closing his eyes briefly in what looked almost like sadness, Dennis looked at David. "The others, they're dead aren't they?"

A sad nod from David was all the response he needed. "I'm sorry Dennis, I should have…I don't know-"

With that, Mount Dennis erupted, "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Flailing his arms around in uncontrollable rage, Dennis began to stalk towards David. "EVER SINCE I LET YOU LIVE, EVERY DAMN THING'S GONE STRAIT TO 'ELL!" Closing his eyes in what might have been pain, Dennis lowered his raised fists as his entire body slumped in defeat.

Voice softer then David had ever heard it, Dennis turned from him. "Leave, kid. I'm done. That monster's gonna kill us either way. I'm gonna find a nice 'ole to go die in. 'ave a nice life kid, fer 'owever long that'll be." Turning in disgust from the shocked human in front of him, Dennis wandered off, eager to find a fitting hole to die in.

"Dennis, I'm sorry." Gaining no response from the defeated behemoth, David turned and, ignoring the distressing, and surprising pang of pity he felt for the broken man walking away from him, continued his desperate run towards the vault.

()

Gone, it's all gone. He'd never see the surface again; never feel the gentle breeze that came off the ocean after a hard day fishing, never see the sunset or sunrise again, never feel the sun's rays gently warm his skin, never see Boston, his home town, again. The defeated giant sat on the floor of the first bar he had been able to find, attempting, once again in vain, to drown his sorrows.

Frankie, the man who had somehow managed to give him hope for survival with his expertise in engineering. The man, who had saved their lives multiple times with his genius weapon modifications and hacking ability, was dead, killed by the bitch who was hunting the kid.

Veronica, the woman who had somehow managed to pierce his Adam induced madness and allowed Dennis, not the beast, to be in control. The woman, who had found the vault, and risked her life teleporting through the wall to open it, was dead, killed by the bitch who was hunting the kid.

Twitc-Reggie, the only man one who ever questioned him, who in his brief moments of sanity had given him invaluable advice. The man who, despite Dennis' constant harshness towards him, helped the team in more ways then any of them would ever know, despite his madness, was dead, killed by the bitch who was hunting the kid.

If he had any luck, the bitch would find him soon. He knew that it was hunting those that had killed the first Little Sister. He knew that the kid wasn't really to blame, it was…easier this way. He could remember the kids face when he realized that they were going to kill the girl, the shock, horror, and disbelief that played across his face in rapid succession. Dennis found himself wishing for the days when killing another was unthinkable to him.

The newbie really was little more then a kid, no matter what he tried to show others, more innocent then he had any right to be. People like that were the ones that died within the first few days of the war. People that refused to do what it took to survive; those that refused to loose their humanity. People like that were the ones that Dennis had killed in droves during the war.

Movement at the doorway caught the crushed behemoth's attention. The Big Sister was standing, motionless, in the doorway, regarding him coldly. Raising his drink in a bitter, mocking salute he greeted the monster. "'ey bitch! I was wonderin when you'd get 'ere!" Blood red porthole tilting slightly as it looked at him curiously, the monster didn't move.

"Come on ya bitch!" A gulp of vodka, "What're ya waitin for?" After several seconds a strange noise filled the room, a deep almost rasping metallic clicking; one that Dennis had never heard before. As the creature turned its back on him, leaving to continue its hunt for the kid, he placed the noise. Laughter…the bitch had been laughing at him. It wasn't human laughter, that was for damn sure, but it was laughter, of that there was no doubt.

Loosing a bitter chuckle, Dennis took another swig from the bottle of vodka he was guzzling. That kid probably hadn't even killed anyone yet. Someone like that wouldn't do it either, not unless he had absolutely no other choice. With a surprised chuckle he realized he didn't even know the kid's name. He'd been either "pretty boy", or "newbie", or even "it" at least for Reggie.

He couldn't help but feel envious of the little shit. He hadn't let Rapture change who he was, at least not yet. He'd been…stronger then Dennis ever had been. Not that it mattered in the end. The kid would be dead in a few minutes. Then the bitch would be back for him.

A shocking realization crossed his mind. The bitch didn't think he was a threat! The bitch didn't think he was worth its time! He was an afterthought, an aside, something written in the fucking margins! He was Dennis damn it! Splicers ran at the sight of him! He had his reputation to think of! Heaving his bulk off the floor, brushing himself off, and putting his bowler on, he walked out the door, giving the bar were he attempted to drown his sorrows, a final nod and a wink.

Dennis had an appointment to keep, and if he managed to save the kid…well his reputation could take that hit.

()

Flying past familiar buildings, David felt his hope rising. He would make it! He was so damn close, he could almost taste it! He'd get to the vault, he'd lock himself inside, and he'd wait for as long as it took, until that…thing was gone. In hindsight, he really should have known better.

Disappointment clenched his heart in its cold grip, as death's gaze fell directly on him. It was standing at the entrance to the bank, head cocked, hips tilted, arms crossed. Somehow, despite the freakish diving helmet, it managed to positively ooze an aura of confidence and self-satisfaction. Pointing at his precious cargo, and then the ground, the creature's message was obvious. Put the girl down.

Nodding his head slightly, he lowered Amanda to the ground. "Mr. Ordinary, is piggyback time over?" Hands raised over his head, he ignored the confused child standing at his feet, and took a step towards the creature vigilantly watching him.

Head tilting the other way in what looked like surprise; it stepped forward, and after a seconds pause extended its hand towards him, only for a crossbow bolt to punch partially through it, imbedding itself halfway into the creature's hand.

An irritated growl rumbled from deep in its chest, as it looked almost casually at its wounded hand.

"Oy! Cunt! You killed my boys! That's not somethin that a bloke like Dennis is goin to take lyin down!" The creature stood, seemingly shocked, staring in disbelief at the behemoth as he cast aside the crossbow, recently pilfered from his ally's corpse.

"Oh, and ya know that little tyke that you must of found, lyin, all broken up, in front of that tavern? I snapped her like a twig!" A strangled growl began to rumble throughout the room, as the creature began to shake with rage.

"Ya know what the last thing that pathetic little shit said was?" Voice rising in pitch in a mocking mimicry of a little girl Dennis continued. "Please, I just want my Daddy!" A badly faked childish sob, "Please give me my Daddy!" The growl permeating the room began to grow in volume.

"Ya know what the best part is? I'm the one that killed 'er Daddy too! Oh and don't worry yer metal encased 'ead about it, I made sure that she was in pain before the end! 'er screams were like music to my ears!" As its rumbling growl transformed into the by now familiar horrible shriek, the creature effortlessly flipped over David's head, before gracefully landing on the ground in front of the now grinning Dennis.

Not pausing to look back, or to try to comprehend Dennis' parting wink, David snatched the girl off the ground and ran into the bank, ignoring the sounds of the vicious combat breaking out behind him. The button that opened the Vault was in the open, the panel normally hiding it torn off some time recently. Hitting the button he waited impatiently for the vault to open. Once it had, David turned and, pulling out his shotgun, shot the outer button, disabling control of the vault door from the outside. Running through the hidden door and, ignoring Amanda's comments about forts being fun, hit the button on the wall of the entrance hallway. The sound of the vault sealing behind him was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

Putting Amanda down, allowing her to explore her new "fort", David collapsed to the ground in a heap. Eyes closing for what seemed the first time in days, David breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, he was safe, for now at least.

()

That thing, that monster, it was going to die! She was going to kill it! Rip it limb from limb! Tear its tendons out and watch it flop around! Rip out its entrails and let it bleed! Feed it its own arms! Break every bone in its body! By the time she was done with it, Theta would make it wish it had never been born!

Shriek piercing the tense atmosphere, Theta jumping gracefully over the now unimportant irritant, and dove at the monster, harvester aimed for its throat. Roar answering her shriek, the monster ducked under her attack and tossed her into the wall.

While the pain was unwelcome it served to clear her head from the all encompassing rage that had clouded it previously. This monster was formidable; at least now that it wasn't attempting to drink itself to death. She wouldn't be able to beat it in a confrontation of strength, cunning was required.

"Oh, what is this? Actually turned yer brain on, ya skank? What a shame." It was trying to anger her, that wouldn't work again. It was going to die, just as all monsters deserved.

Glancing around she surveyed the area, looking for anything that could be used to her advantage. A large pipe clung to the wall overhead; she could hear water flowing through it. The walls would support her weight. There was debris around the area that she could use. Smirking at the monster as they circled each other, she waited for it to make the first move.

With a roar it dove towards her, huge fist aiming for her head. Ducking under its oafish swing, and moving with speed she knew it could not match, Theta dug her harvester into the monster's ribs, before spinning away under its raised arm and stabbing it again, this time in the back.

Roaring again, now in pain, the monster spun and swung at her. Harvester leaving the monster's flesh with a wet pop, Theta jumped backwards, maintaining her distance from the monster.

Moving with more speed then she gave it credit, the monster grabbed a chunk of concrete off the ground and hurled it at her head. The chunk of processed stone impacted her visor with a dull thunk, whipping her head back and dazing her. Before she had a chance to regain her bearings, the monster slammed into her with the force of a train. Lifting her off the ground as it hit her, the monster kept running until it slammed her into the wall with all of its considerable might.

The air left her lungs, leaving her even more disoriented. Still reeling, a mammoth fist impacted her visor, slamming her head into the wall yet again, and cracking her visor. She liked that visor! Unable to shriek in order to express her rage, Theta did the next best thing. She allowed her anger to vent itself constructively, namely by wreathing herself in flames.

Releasing her with a pained yell, the monster dove away from the inferno surrounding the Big Sister. Intensifying the flames, Theta began to stalk towards her prey. It had put up a valiant effort but it was still only a monster. It had designed itself to fight Little Sisters and their Daddies, not something like her, the type of monster other monsters feared.

Small eyes wide, it backed away from her only for a savage grin to split its stony features. Still grinning it pointed above her. Following its lead, her head darted upward and she saw the pipe, the pipe filled with freezing ocean water. She snapped her head down just in time to see the monster hurl another chunk of concrete. Not at her, no, this one was directed at the pipe. Freezing water promptly drenched her, and doused the fire she was maintaining.

That was…thoroughly unpleasant! Hands raised over her head she redirected the water, right into the monster's chest. Spluttering with rage it began attempting to close the distance between them, unsuccessfully. Smirking at the floundering monster, Theta began to freeze the water around him. After several seconds the monster was stuck inside its very own glacier.

Attention diverting from the monster briefly, she warped the puncture in the pipe, sealing it once more. Small task complete, she sauntered over to the monster, pausing briefly face to ugly face with it, staring into its small cunning eyes.

Despite everything, the monster was still smiling at her. "L-looks like you fergot yer, main o-objective, ya stupid c-cunt." Seeing her view dart from him to the bank it continued through chattering teeth. "Thas r-right ya idiot, I think ya fergot somethin."

Her attention to detail somewhat compromised by her growing rage, she didn't notice the monster tensing until it was too late, and a crack split down the ice it was locked inside. Diving away from the monster a second too late, she was blown through the air as his icy prison shattered.

Thrown into the wall with even more force then when the monster had thrown her, Theta regained her footing slowly. Turning towards the smirking monster she saw that it was holding something in its hand, with a cheeky grin and a wink it activated what it was holding. Distractingly, a slight hissing noise emanated from the arrow embedded in her left hand. Pausing in confusion she looked on, as a small hook shot out of the back end trailing a wire, and embedded itself in the wall. A small spark was her only warning before thousands of volts coursed throughout her body.

PAIN!

The resulting shriek of agony hurt even her ears. Collapsing to the ground in a heap, whimpering and twitching spasmodically, she desperately attempted to regain her sense of direction from the single most painful experience of her short life. Standing slowly and painfully, her gaze found that of the monster smirking at her expectantly, eyebrow raised. "Ya alright? I could slow down fer ya if ya want? Would that 'elp sweet thing?"

Whimper morphing into an echoing growl, her patience finally snapped. The monster thought that she was weak? She'd show it weak! Tearing the arrow out of her hand, Theta raised her hands over her head. Using Plasmids like no other being in Rapture could, she pulled the shattered remnants of the monsters icy prison towards her.

"Oh shit, thas just not fair!" Surrounded by a tornado of razor sharp shards of ice she couldn't help but return the monster's smirk, though she knew the monster would never see it. A shard of ice flew through the air and embedded itself in the monster's shoulder.

"Ow! You little shit! What the 'ell was that? Can't even fight fair?" The column of swirling shards of ice constricted around her briefly, before exploding outwards. A final chuckle escaped the monsters lips, "Guess thas my answer."

()

Protector M2-Theta looked down at the bloodied and broken body of the monster on the ground, despite everything it had been through, there was still a smirk plastered onto its hideous face. She would have spat on the ugly creature, but that would involve taking her helmet off, and she liked her helmet, it reminded her of Daddy.

A gurgled cough escaped the monster's lips, it was still alive. Despite herself, Theta was impressed, that thing just didn't want to die! As its arm moved towards its pocket, she stepped down on it. Glaring at the monster as it smiled slightly back up at her. "Come on girl, it's not anything that'll 'urt you." Pausing she looked at it curiously, even now it didn't fear her. After a moments deliberation she lifted her foot from the broken monster.

With a slightly vacant smile the monster responded. "Thanks, yer not much more then a kid yerself are you?" Gaining no response from the bemused Sister, the monster reached into its pocket and pulled a battered handheld radio out of it. Flicking the radio on, the monster slowly brought it to the side of his head.

"Kid, I know you can 'ear me. Ya know a thought crossed my mind awhile back. One that in 'indsight seemed kind of obvious. Newbie, what in god's name's yer name?"

A sad chuckle, echoed from the battered radio. "My name's David, Dennis."

"Well, that really seems like somethin that I should 'ave asked some time durin this last week, huh? Well David, it's good to meet ya. I'm currently starin my death in da face, and its starin right back."

A rush of static buzzed from the radio as the monster on the other side sighed slightly, "It's been nice knowing you Dennis."

With an attempted chuckle that sounded more akin to a death rattle, the dieing monster responded, "No it 'asn't kid, no it 'asn't. Don't lie to a diein man, don't ya know thas bad luck." With a crack, the monster crushed the radio in its large fist.

"You really are little more then a kid aren't ya?" A sigh accompanied by a bubble of blood oozed past its dieing lips. "Don't be too 'ard on the kid, 'e didn't know we were goin to kill yer sister, 'e's not a monster like the rest of us were." Giving Theta one last broad smile, the monster began laughing, blood gushing from its twisted mouth. It didn't stop laughing, even as its lungs filled with blood, and its beady black eyes rolled back into its head.

Theta watched in shock, unsure what to do or how to react, as the monster died laughing at her. It had tricked her, used her anger against her, and died mocking her. She felt a twinge of disappointment, it should have died slower, and she should have made it scream! There was no satisfaction in killing a monster who welcomed death! The monsters should always die in fear, alone and afraid! She had failed! Impotent, directionless rage surged through her limbs again, not that it would change anything.

What that monster had said to her wasn't important, monsters lie, monsters kill, monsters steal, and monsters run. While it was rare, some monsters outside the Rapture Family stuck together, and looked out for each other. This monster had been one of those.

The monster had lied to her, it had hurt her, and it wanted her to go easy on its ally. That she would not do! A monster was a monster, no matter what it said or did. The one who ran was a monster, and all monsters needed to die.

The obnoxious neon sign flickering over the bank caught her eye. She may have failed with one of the monsters, allowing it to die happy, but there was another, and it had killed her Sister. With that thought, the rage transformed into a crushing sadness, she had failed, and another of her Sisters was dead. No matter what she did, her Sisters always died. For every Sister that she saved, two more died. She was fighting a loosing battle, and she knew it. But she would not give up! Her Sisters needed her!

She had been too slow, too stupid, to smell her Sister in the area, to recognize the unmistakable Adam laced smell of a living Gatherer. The need to hunt had been too strong, and she had somehow missed her Sister. Her Sister who was by now surely dead, killed by that monster! The monster, on the other hand, wasn't dead, though by the time she was done with it, it would beg for death.

Smiling grimly in anticipation, Theta turned towards the ocean. First thing's first, she had to find a way to see some part of the monsters hidey hole. Once she did, she could teleport inside with impunity. Then, and only then, could she make that final monster pay!

Smirking behind her helmet, Theta allowed herself to briefly picture what she would do to this last monster, the one that ran, the one that had taken part in the murder of two of her Sisters. There was one thing of which she was absolutely certain, she was going to make that monster scream, and it wouldn't stop until its throat bled!


	9. Nice To Meet You Too

NICE TO MEET YOU TOO

David's first peaceful nights sleep in this hellish city was interrupted by something that he didn't expect, singing.

"_In the House of Upside-Down: cellar's top floor, attic's ground."_ Sitting up slowly, David turned towards the source of the noise.

"_In the House of Upside-Down: laughing cries, and smile's frown." _Amanda was rocking back and forth slowly, holding up some kind of doll singing softly to herself.

"_In the House of Upside-Down: found is lost, and lost-is found...__" _Glancing over her shoulder towards David, a broad smile spread across her features. "Mornin' Mr. Ordinary! Did you sleep well?"

Groaning slightly, David nodded, "Yeah, I slept okay. Did you sleep at all?"

Shifting in place so she was facing David, Amanda nodded. "I did, but you've been sleeping _forever_! How do you sleep so much?"

"I happen to enjoy sleep, thank you very much! My Sister's kid sleeps for hours!"

"But it's _so_ boring! Oh, you have a sister? Can I meet her? Could we be Sisters? I already have a lot of Sisters but another would be so much fun!"

Smiling at her childish energy, David nodded. "She's three years older then me, her daughter's about your age though."

An animated gasp escaped Amanda's lips, as her smile widened even more. "You have a Big Sister? Does she protect you like mine does?" A slight frown marred her otherwise carefree face. "I miss Sissy."

"My sister tends to get into trouble; I always seem to have to bail her out of trouble." Smiling at the child sitting in front of him, David continued. "What happened to your sister?"

"I don't know!" Amanda responded, her eerie eyes tearing up slightly. "The last time I saw her she was fighting a monster!"

Feeling a pang of sympathy for the little girl, he understood missing your family quite well, he attempted to comfort her. "I'm sure your sister's fine!"

Smiling at David, Amanda nodded. "I bet your right, Sissy's hard to unzip!"

Looking at the strange girl sitting in front of him, David attempted to learn more about her. "That song you were singing, what was that?"

"The house of upside down? It's our home. Mother lives there, she tells us where to go and guides Daddy to meet us. It's upside down!" Giving him a quizzical look Amanda continued. "For a monster, Mr. Ordinary, you're very nice."

"Oh, I'm a monster, am I? How are monsters supposed to act?"

"Monsters are mean, and evil, and they try to unzip us! You aren't a mean monster, but if you try anything, Daddy will protect me!" Brandishing her doll, Amanda dove at David, with a war cry. Allowing her to force him backwards, David began to laugh, really laugh, for the first time since he got to this city.

Catching her arm gently in his hand, he examined the doll that she was attacking him with. It was a small representation of a Big Daddy, surprisingly lifelike and made out of bits and bobs, its drill a broken wine opener, and small clear bits of plastic surrounded by metal wiring represented the many portholes on the beast's helmet.

Holding it gently he glanced up at Amanda, who was smiling at him. "That's Daddy. He's sleeping now, but I still have him with me." Taking the small toy gently out of David's hands, Amanda rocked the doll gently back and forth, like one would a baby. "Don't worry Daddy; I'll protect you until you wake up."

Shaking his head slightly in disbelief, David turned to one of the mammoth windows looking out to the ocean. She truly adored those freakish metal golems, what traumas did she have to endure before she viewed that creature as a father figure.

The ocean, as it turned out, held no answers.

()

The ocean always calmed Theta. The silence was comforting, it was one of the only places she was truly safe, one of the only places she could let her guard down and relax. Her suit, sealed because of the crushing ocean around her, cut her powerful nose off from the constant and sometimes overwhelming smell of Adam that laced the city of Rapture.

A shark swam by her lazily, halfheartedly chasing a school of fish, the alpha predator of the ocean coasting past the alpha predator of Rapture. Putting on a surprising dart of speed, the shark surged forward catching a fish in its mammoth jaws, as the unfortunate fish's school scattered around it. For a moment Theta wished that her life was that simple, just wander around and feed. A bitter fact crossed her mind, at one point her life was that simple, then she grew up.

Continuing her lazy descent towards the ocean floor, she basked in the isolation and peace that she was feeling, relishing the unfamiliar feeling for as long as she could. Some of her Sisters were constantly on the move, darting from place to place nonstop hunting monsters obsessively, unable, or unwilling, to stop. She didn't understand it, why not allow yourself to relax, even if it wouldn't last. It wasn't as if she could ask her Sisters why they were constantly on the move, a conversation was hard to hold when all you could do was growl and scream.

Her younger Sisters weren't like that; they had an almost supernatural knack for understanding what she was trying to say. Briefly, she wondered if the changes puberty brought her was the reason she could not communicate with the Sisters that were closer to her own age. After all, growing almost two and a half feet in under a year hadn't been the only change she had gone through during those horrid times.

Flipping over in the deep, she landed feet first on the ocean floor, sand billowing up around her. She was standing at the base of Olympus Heights, surveying the supports that kept the tower from collapsing. The monster that had killed her sister's hidey hole was on this level. She remembered the overpowering scent of Adam drifting up from below the bank. The bank was on the ground level of Olympus Heights, meaning that the hidey hole had been custom made, and was somewhere down here.

Closing her eyes in concentration, Theta brought up a mental map of the area she had pursued the monsters through. If the hallway leading to the hidey hole had continued straight down before reaching its main area, it would be on the left side of the tower, if it turned however, it could be on any side of the tower. She really hoped that whoever had created the hidey hole had wanted a view and hadn't entombed it inside the building, she really didn't want to teleport into the area blind.

Sighing mentally, Theta prepared herself to continue the hunt, this might take awhile.

()

Looking into the mirror in front of him, David glared at the scraggly hair, obstinately perched on his chin. Dennis and his followers had been remarkably well supplied; they had tooth paste, soap, shampoo, tooth brushes, combs, even a shaving razor, but no shaving cream. Life officially was not fair!

Stalking out of the bathroom, slightly peeved, David turned to face Amanda, who was playing with a familiar pair of binoculars. "What are you doing?" Storming over to the surprised child, David snatched the binoculars out of her hands.

Brandishing the recently confiscated object, David glared slightly at Amanda. "Where did you get these?"

"T-they were in your pack," Amanda responded, yellow eyes the size of quarters. Head lowering as she looked guiltily at the floor, she continued. "I was looking for candy; Sissy sometimes had candy for me."

Immediately feeling guilty for yelling at the poor girl, David crouched in front of her. Gesturing towards a small inscription on the side of the binoculars, David attempted to make amends. "Do you see this?"

Grabbing his wrist with her small hands, Amanda pulled the mysterious object closer, "Are those letters? What do they say?"

"It's Latin, it says _'spes anchora vitae'_ or 'hope is the anchor of life', my father's favorite saying. My Daddy's sleeping too, and these binoculars were his." Seeing Amanda's eyes widen in understanding, David continued. "I keep them with me so that I'll always have him with me, like you do. They're breakable, and for a second I was afraid that you would break them. I overreacted, and I'm sorry, but if you want to look at them again could you ask me first?"

Nodding somberly as she stared at him knowingly, Amanda smiled sadly. "I understand, and I'm sorry Mr. Ordinary. I won't go through your things again." Looking curiously at the unfamiliar object in David's hand, Amanda asked the other question that was bothering her. "Mr. Ordinary, what's the other letters mean?"

Glancing in surprise at the inscription he had tried, and failed, to hide, David responded to the observant girl. "It's another saying my dad liked, it's…not important. I might answer later, okay?"

A knowing nod from the child calmed his nerves. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me all about your Daddy, I understand. Thinking of mine makes me sad too. If you want to talk about him, I'd listen though, I'm good at listening. Maybe someday I'll tell you about my Daddy too!"

Smiling at the surprisingly worldly girl sitting in front of him, David decided that she had earned something fun. "Amanda, do you know what binoculars do?" A shake of her small head his only response, a now grinning David continued. "My Dad was an artillery spotter in a big war." Seeing Amanda start to open her mouth obviously confused by all the words he had used, David motioned for her to be quiet. "The point is, binoculars are used for looking at things that are far away, here look through these."

Tentatively taking a hold of the binoculars, now understanding their sentimental value, Amanda lifted them to her eyes. A surprised gasp filled the room, as a wide smile split her face almost in two.

"Mr. Ordinary! Your nose is huge!"

()

Anxiety bubbled in Theta's gut, and her leech wriggled uncomfortably in response. She couldn't find the hidey hole! She'd searched everywhere! There were no windows. She wasn't going to let the monster get away with its crimes, but she was dreading teleporting through the hidey hole door. She had absolutely no way of knowing what was on the other side, she could end up inside a wall for all she knew!

She'd seen that happen when one botched a teleportation once during her training as a Big Sister. One of the younger girls, no more then thirteen, who was still learning to master her abilities had attempted to teleport from the training room to the cafeteria. Both of those areas being familiar to all the trainees, negated the chances of hitting a wall, objects that weren't static, on the other hand, were another thing entirely.

The screams of her two Sisters were burned into her mind, even now, four years later. The inexperienced Sister had appeared in the cafeteria as she had planned, she hadn't planned for a different Sister to be walking towards the food. Theta had watched, in shocked horror, as the monster scientist from the Family had carried the fused bodies of her Sisters from the area, still screaming at the top of their combined lungs. With the death of the young Sister and the unfortunate 16 year old, who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, Theta had been the oldest living trainee.

She didn't want to end up like that, she'd rather die. The Rapture Family members never told any of the Sisters how long it had taken for the unlucky two to die, and Theta had a sick feeling that they hadn't done anything to help her Sisters or ease their passing. Steeling herself, Theta began to ascend towards the bottom floor of Olympus Heights, she had no choice.

Anxiety morphing into fear, Theta closed her eyes. This couldn't be happening; she'd wake up in the Big Sister barracks and feel like a fool. She couldn't end like that! There'd be no one to help her, or even kill her. If this went badly, she'd find out how long it took to die from an injury like that the hard way.

Reaching the desired level, Theta glanced back to the base of the tower. Olympus Heights truly was an impressive place. Built on an underwater ridge it loomed over the rest of Rapture, allowing the elite of Rapture to truly look down on the rest of the city.

A thought crossed her mind, though she was unsure whether it was a brilliant idea, or her terrified brain trying to postpone her death. Not that it mattered, she had to try.

Blasting down into the depths far faster then she had originally; Theta came to the underwater ridge on which the tower loomed. Landing on top of the ridge, Theta walked to the edge and looked down.

Relief hit her, as she thanked whatever greater power that held sway under the sea for her good luck. Fifty feet down the ridge, a small structure jutted from the cliff face, a small structure in which a monster was hiding.

()

Glaring once again at his rebellious facial hair, David prepared himself for pain. He had decided not to shave until he could get a hold of some shaving cream, but Amanda grabbing his growing beard, and yanking on it while laughing inanely, had changed his mind.

Holding the razor to his throat, David gritted his teeth as he readied himself to decapitate some of the offending hair, only to be interrupted by a happy gasp sounding from the main room, "Sissy!"

()

The structure had mammoth windows on the floor, and walls. Apparently the foolish monster enjoyed a view. This was too easy!

Floating downward, Theta coasted into view of the windows, peering inside the monsters hidey hole. It was well stocked; supplies covered the far wall from top to bottom. The monster could have lived here for months without ever leaving. She couldn't have waited it out.

Eyes surveying the room she saw something she couldn't believe. Her Sister was sitting on the ground in the middle of the room, surrounded by pep bar wrappers, and playing with a doll of her Daddy and some unfamiliar device.

Joy, an emotion who's light and comforting touch she had completely forgotten until now, flooded her veins. She was alive! She couldn't believe it, her Sister was alive! Going limp with relief Theta stared at her wayward Sister. Extending her arm slowly towards the window, she rapped softly on it.

Her younger Sister turned around, and a grin of joy split her young, carefree face. Running to the window, she placed a hand gently against it, yelling a word that Theta could not hear. Smiling, as a few tears of joy left her eyes; she placed her hand against the window, mirroring that of her Sister.

()

Leaving the bathroom, razor clutched loosely in his hand, David turned to Amanda, opening his mouth to ask her what she was yelling about.

IT was floating outside the window, hand placed over Amanda's.

"Sissy, I missed you!"

()

Movement behind her Sister ended her brief moment of joy. The monster was leaving a side room, razor in hand.

Instantly, vibrant joy morphed into a murderous rage. She hadn't failed her Sister, she would not now!

With a savage shriek, only she could hear, Theta disappeared from the ocean.

()

Heart stopping for a second as everything clicked, David stood in shock. Amanda's missing Sister protected her and was last seen fighting a monster, the last time he'd seen it it had been about to attack Dennis, and seemed enraged when Dennis talked about killing the first girl. With a jolt of self loathing David realized that he hadn't saved the girl from a horrible monster on a mindless killing spree, he'd saved her from her own protector.

Taking a step back, David made eye contact with the creature lurking in the depths, before, a split second later, it disappeared.

Diving towards his shotgun, as a rumbling growl began to echo throughout the small room; David felt an invisible force impact the hand holding the razor, slamming it into the wall with bone crushing force. Spinning with the inertia from his sudden change in direction, he landed on his stomach, limbs splayed.

Ignoring the sound of the creature's metal boots walking towards him, he reached for his shotgun with his right hand, only for it to go flying through the air over the monster's shoulder, grabbed by the same invisible force that had broken his hand. Before he could do anything else a cold metal clad hand grabbed his ankle in an iron grip, before throwing him into the far wall effortlessly.

Sitting up slowly, propping himself against the wall that he had been tossed against, David looked up. He could see it stalking towards him, but was unable to react. Fist grabbing the front of his shirt, it lifted him off the ground effortlessly, pulling the huge needle attached to its arm back in preparation to end his life.

"Sissy, Stop! Don't hurt Mr. Ordinary! He's my friend!" The child's cry surprised both David and the abomination. Simultaneously they glanced down at the little girl clinging to the metallic leg of its Sister.

Head snapping back up, blood red porthole fixed on David's petrified face, the terror that had murdered the closest things to friends David had in this horrible city, contemplated his fate.


	10. Can a Monster Reminisce?

CAN A MONSTER REMINISCE?

Protector M2-Theta was…confused. Why was her Sister trying to stop her? It was a monster, monsters were evil, monsters needed to die!

"Sissy, please! He saved me from the scary lady you unzipped, and scared the big monster away!"

The monster must have threatened her, told her it would kill her if she didn't help! Growl rising in volume, Theta moved to kill the monster.

"Sissy, no! Don't hurt Mr. Ordinary! His Daddy's sleeping too! He told me! See? See? These are his Daddy's beanoclears!" Looking down towards the strange object her Sister was brandishing, Theta paused, they looked similar to the things Mother always wore, but elongated and encased in metal.

Taking the mysterious object from her Sister's hand, Theta inspected them with detached curiosity. There were letters on the side of each tube, concentrating Theta attempted to remember how letters worked.

A slight gurgle from the monster she was holding by the throat broke Theta's concentration, its face was turning blue! Fighting the urge to laugh, she realized that she might be holding its throat a bit tighter then was strictly necessary, especially if she was actually considering letting it live. Dropping the monster, it wasn't as if she couldn't kill it if it attempted to fight, she took a few steps back, watching as it desperately took in heaving gulps of air.

Standing slowly, the monster stumbled into the wall, upsetting the balance of the some of the objects resting against it. Looking up, Theta saw a heavy metal container falling directly towards her. Unable to react in time, it hit her directly in the visor, a metal crash mixed with the sound of cracking glass echoed through the small room.

Stumbling backwards, slightly dazed, Theta felt something she wasn't expecting…air brushing gently against her face. Her helmet was broken. The monster had broken her helmet! It had been cracked during her fight with the brute, but had still been structurally sound. The metal container must have been the final straw. Rage clouded her mind once again.

It had broken her helmet! She was going to kill it! That helmet reminded her of Daddy! It had helped her feel brave, made her feel strong like Daddy had been. Now all she had from Daddy was her name. Stepping towards the monster responsible, Theta prepared herself to kill it.

"No Sissy! He didn't mean it! Mr. Ordinary, say you're sorry!" Her Sister's voice stopped her once again, seemingly quite set on letting the monster live.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to drop that damn thing on your head!" The monster's voice, still hoarse from near suffocation, took Theta several seconds to decipher.

It was apologizing? Monsters don't apologize. Breathing in the fresh air circulating her damaged helmet, Theta noticed something odd. The room was caked with the stench of Adam, not surprisingly given that the monsters had lived here and reeked of it themselves. Her Sister smelled strongly of Adam, as all Gatherers did. Even she reeked of Adam, being an ex-Gatherer and new Protector. The monster was almost completely free of Adam, the only Adam she could smell on it was the latent Adam that permeated Rapture, and even that was far weaker then she had ever seen.

How did a monster not have Adam? The only other person she had encountered remotely close to the monster, Adam wise, was Mother, and she smelled more strongly of Adam. Adam permeated everything in Rapture, how was this monster so…clean? To her irritation she could only come to one conclusion, the monster had never used Adam in its lifetime.

The behemoth's dieing words came back to her as she contemplated the confusing monster. It called her a child, and said that the monster in front of her was one too. It said that the monster didn't know what they were going to do to her Sister. How was that possible?

As the monster watched her warily, she detected something else, something faint, but it was there without a doubt. Vaguely sweet, and clean, she had never smelled anything like it before. The unfamiliar smell reminded her of Arcadia, the monster smelled a bit like the trees that filled that verdant section of Rapture.

All of this only reinforced what Theta already knew, she was…confused.

()

Recently broken hand throbbing in agony and his burnt back probably oozing through its bandages, David stared at the thing standing in front of him. It had put him down and was now staring into space, while this was an obvious improvement to the earlier situation, he still wasn't entirely sure it wasn't going to gut him like a pig.

He had been planning on getting some bandages for his back, but a rumbling growl ended that idea fairly quickly as soon as he took a step. With a resigned sigh he glared slightly at the creature staring at him. "Look, if your going to kill me, just kill me, otherwise I'm going to go and rewrap my back and see what I can do with my hand."

An outraged gasp sounded in the small room, "You hurt Mr. Ordinary? Zip him back up, Sissy! Now!" Staring in shock at her smaller sister, the creature loosed an irritated shriek, pointing at the box of first aid kits sitting high up on the wall.

"FIX HIM! NOW!" Growling in irritation, his houseguest pulled one of the first aid kits through the air, and stormed towards him. This is probably going to suck! Stopping a foot away from him, it shoved the first aid kit into his face.

"Umm, those things don't-" David was cut off as the creature, whose patience had apparently expired, raised the small metal box over his head and broke it in half. To his surprise his head was promptly drenched by a red, foul smelling, viscous liquid, accompanied by an unpleasant tingly feeling.

After several seconds the creature's head cocked in confusion. Running a quick self diagnosis, David tallied his injuries. Broken hand? Throbbing and considerably larger then normal. Scorched back? Burning even more then normal after being thrown into the wall. Was that lovely foul smelling goop supposed to do something?

"Alright, this has been fun, but I'm going to go attempt to patch myself up." Walking past the confused monster, he headed toward the bathroom.

"Sissy! Fix him!" Hearing the abhuman approaching, he spun around. "Alright look, it's nice that you're trying to help, but that damn ooze smells horrid. I can wrap bandages fine, thanks." An arrogant tilt of its head as it pointed at his broken hand was all the answer he needed.

"I'll find a way. I _really_ don't need your help." With a skeptical huff, its hand shot out with shocking speed, catching the wrist of his broken hand. Before he could pull himself from its grip, both its hands moved to his, poking and prodding around the injured area. A second later, with a pop and a twinge of pain, it reset the bones of his hand.

Stepping backwards from the surprised human with something akin to a chuckle, the creature gestured him to continue. "Umm, thanks…I think?" With that, a bemused David walked into the bathroom.

()

Well the monster, or whatever it was, was distracted. Turning to her Little Sister, Theta lifted her off the ground and turned to leave the area. "NO! I want to make sure that Mr. Ordinary is all right! This Fort is fun! I don't want to leave!" Wait, what?

Growling softly in irritation, Theta knelt before her obviously confused Sister. Pointing out the window, towards the rest of Rapture, she attempted to reason with her obstinate younger sibling.

"No! I don't want to go home! Why can't this be my home?" Was she this stubborn at this age? With another, softer growl she pointed towards Rapture again.

Mammoth yellow eyes burrowing into Theta's soul, her Sister continued. "I want to stay! The fort is fun, and Mr. Ordinary is nice, and the Family people Mother sends to check on us scare me! Can't I just stay here for a little bit, please?" This couldn't be fair! Was there a plasmid for puppy dog eyes? If so, her Sister must have overdosed on it. Privately, Theta had to agree about the monsters Mother had check up on the younger Sisters. It wasn't that they had ever done anything; no they were too devoted to the Rapture Family for that. It was the way they looked at the girls, with a sort of hunger. It seemed to her that it was only a matter of time before one of them would be found crouched over a Sister's body.

Groaning to herself, Theta pondered the situation. Her better judgment was telling her to just pick her stubborn sister up off the ground and leave. Her heart was telling her that her Sister could stay here for at least a day. She would be there; the monster wouldn't harm the child for as long as she breathed.

If she was truthful with herself, Theta knew that the strange monster had had plenty of time to harm her Sister. Surprisingly it hadn't, according to her Sister, the monster had saved her from the female monster and convinced the big one to let them go. The complete lack of Adam in its blood meant that it had never consumed one of her Sisters, though it still could have killed some.

Another, surely ridiculous, idea passed through Theta's head. The monster had almost no Adam on it, even if it had never used it, it should smell more strongly of the near magical substance. As she noticed earlier, it smelled strange, a smell she had never encountered before. She was one of Rapture's alpha predators, she knew her city inside and out, no area inside the city smelled like the monster did. There was only one possible answer…the monster wasn't from Rapture.

The door groaning as it opened announced the monsters return. "Wow, I was expecting you two to be gone." Smirking slightly at the both of them, it sat down on a bed roll, scratching idly at its fuzzy chin.

Glaring through her cracked visor, Theta pointed an accusing finger at the monster, before pointing upward. "And what was that supposed to mean?" Growling in irritation, she repeated the gesture.

"Oh, yeah, I'm not from around here. There was a storm and the freighter I was on crashed." What was a freighter?

Apparently reading her confused body language the monster continued. "I was on a boat, there was a bad storm and it sunk. I barely survived. I was able to stay afloat and found a lighthouse. I went inside hoping to find a way to call for help, and wound up here. God, I miss the sun!"

"Mr. Ordinary, what's the sun?" Silently Theta agreed with her sister, the word seemed familiar but she couldn't place it. Storm was a word that was more familiar to her; it was one of the words used in the advertisements for Electro Bolt. Boats she knew were like floating partially enclosed bathyspheres, storms must be very bad if they could destroy one.

Pondering this, Theta came to a conclusion, the surface sounded very strange.

()

How does someone not know what the sun is? "The sun is…huge. It's this enormous fireball that floats in the sky. It lights up the entire surface, it's what causes day and night. It's so hot that even from millions of miles away you can still feel its gentle heat on your skin."

It was strange, how similar their body language was, both their heads tilted slightly to the left out of curiosity. One a small girl with a slightly greenish complexion, wearing a dirty dress, and small feet bare, the other a bit over six feet in height, armor plated, and armed to the teeth. Despite all the differences between the two, at this moment if he didn't know better, David would have sworn that they were related.

"Doesn't the sun hurt? It must be _really_ hot, if you can feel it from so far away!"

"No, it feels nice, it's…soothing." Steeling himself, David voiced his thoughts; he had always preferred ripping a bandage off to pulling it off slowly. Look Amanda, I appreciate that you stayed to say goodbye. I'll…see you around."

Closing his eyes as he leaned back against the wall, David attempted to relax. He knew that he had no chance in this city alone, he'd be able to live here for awhile, but the second he needed supplies he was a dead man.

A small body bouncing off of his bed ruined his moment of peace. "Mr. Ordinary, Sissy says that we can sleepover!" The growl that echoed throughout the room clearly showed the Sister's opinion of this situation.

Attempting, and probably failing, to hide his surprise, David looked at the little girl grinning broadly at him, eyes alight with curiosity. "What's the surface like? Is the sun scary? What's a storm? Why can't boats work underwater?"

Amanda reminded David of his Sister's daughter, they both had insatiable curiosities, and if Amanda was anything like her, her curiosity would take a long time to quench. A chance to reminisce would probably help anyway.

As he looked at the smiling child, David found it impossible not to notice its sister, looming in the corner like a storm cloud, watching his every move. Any familial resemblance David had noticed between the two earlier was gone. Amanda was smiling at him happily, almost bouncing up and down in excitement for story time. Her sister on the other hand, was staring at him, cracked visor fixed on his face, and he would bet any amount of money that there was a vicious glare hidden behind it.

()

The monster and her young charge were both asleep. It had told her sister stories about the surface for what seemed like hours, before with a yawn, her Sister had curled up next to it and fallen asleep.

Her urges as a Protector where screaming at her to kill the monster and take her Sister from this place, but for a reason she didn't fully understand Theta hadn't. Despite herself, she had listened to its stories of the surface, of the fireball that burned constantly in the sky, of the animals that ran of four legs and didn't swim.

She had tried to imagine it and found she couldn't. It was unsettling to her, the thought that the world was so much bigger then she had ever believed. For the first time in her short, pain filled life; the lost soul turned her thoughts to the world beyond Rapture's walls. Could people really fly? Was the earth really floating in a black sea larger then she could fathom? Had people really been there? Surely it had been exaggerating. The thought that there wasn't just a world beyond Rapture's walls, but an entire universe was disturbing. A void larger then the ocean was unfathomable.

Suddenly, Theta found herself feeling very small.

With a shake of her head, she dismissed those pointless distressing thoughts. Things outside Rapture didn't matter! She couldn't control things out there, but she could control things here.

The monster thought it was clever, she knew it wasn't sleeping, it was too still. It could probably tell she was watching it for any sign of treachery; it had better behave itself if it knew what was good for it. She might have decided not to kill it for now, but that was a decision that she could revisit at any time.

Unable to avoid it any longer, Theta found her thoughts going back to Daddy, always back to Daddy.

Why had Daddy stopped protecting her? Why had he stopped meeting her at her hidey hole? Had she done something wrong? Had he been hurt? Was she not good enough?

()

Eleanor's Daddy was kind of scary, but Samantha knew that Daddy would protect her, Daddy always protected her. It was funny how similar Eleanor and her Daddies looked. The only difference she could see was the markings on their hands; her Daddy had a circle with a line through it on his hands, while Eleanor's had what looked like an unfinished A.

Turning towards her younger friend, Samantha smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this excited! The two of them had made a play date, they knew they weren't supposed to but they were still gathering! After all, good girls gathered!

With a happy yell, Eleanor dashed away from her older friend. "Come on slowpoke! Can't you smell the Adam?" Laughing happily, Samantha gave chase to her friend as they raced towards the angel, Daddies lumbering after them.

()

Taking her helmet off with a hiss, Theta looked into the blood red porthole. It looked so similar to Daddy's, face hidden behind expressionless glass. Idly she wondered if Daddy had really loved her. Did he leave by choice? Was he taken away? Was he killed?

Glaring into the cracked blood red glass, she resisted the urge to crush the helmet between her hands. Had Daddy been able to tell? Had he seen that she was a monster? Had he left in order to escape from her? Had he seen what she would become? Was she really worse then the monsters Daddy had protected her from?

()

Glaring playfully at her friend, Eleanor attempted to diminish her recent victory. "You cheated! Your bigger then me! That's not fair!"

Finishing her victory dance as their Daddies caught up, Samantha couldn't help but grin at her younger friend. "I'm older, I'm s'possed to be bigger silly! Come on, we shouldn't leave the Angel waiting." With that, both girls turned to the beautiful angel at their feet, harvesters at the ready.

()

Was harvesting people wrong? Theta could still remember how she had seen Rapture as a child, all chrome and spotless gold. No twisted monsters, only beautiful people. No decaying bodies, only peaceful angels. She remembered the confusion and horror she felt as Rapture seemed to decay around her, as whatever mental conditioning she had as a child wore off.

If harvesting from dead bodies was the right thing to do, why had they brainwashed little girls into doing it? Why couldn't someone else do it? Those scientist, the ones that took her humanity, the ones that were changing other little girls, they were monsters! She killed monsters, but they were part of the Family. Mother said that they were doing the right thing, that they must put the needs of the many above the needs of the few.

The Rapture Family, The Rapture Family was not a family that she felt any loyalty towards. It was made up of monsters, and she killed monsters. Mother insisted that the monsters were good, that they were part of the Family and weren't attempting to hurt her Sisters, she had her doubts. At times, she wasn't entirely sure Mother was always right, but Mother had their best interests at heart, or so she claimed. Mother's claims didn't mean much to her, after all, deep down Mother was just a different type of monster.

()

It was some kind of holiday for the walking angels, there was ballroom music echoing throughout the entire city. Navigating in between hundreds of dancing angels was difficult, even with two Daddies attempting to keep people away. Reaching an unspoken decision, the Sisters turned from the large crowded room. Together they headed towards lesser populated areas of the beautiful city.

Little did the Sisters know that amidst the crowds of people flowing around each other, a frustrated Protector was attempting to locate its charge.

As the two Sisters walked through the gorgeous back alleys of the city, bellies full, they came across two masked angels, leaning against the wall, limbs intertwined, kissing each other.

Giggling Eleanor turned towards her friend, "Ewwww! Samantha, what are they doing?"

Turning from each other the angels looked at the two girls, and suddenly Samantha found herself felling very exposed. Turning around to hide behind Daddy's legs she had a most unwelcome surprise, her Daddy wasn't with them. The Sisters stepped towards each other unconsciously, those weren't angels they were monsters!

Rubbing suggestively against its male partner, the female monster pouted up at him, "Look James, a twofer, and I would _love_ a present."

Smiling at its female counterpart, the male monster nodded, "Fine Veronica, I am a gentleman after all."

With a happy squeal, the female monster kissed its friend on the cheek. "That's so sweat, James!" Voice lowering it continued, "I'll make it worth your while later."

Lightning flowed along the male monsters arms as it began to advance towards the girls. With a rumbling growl Eleanor's Daddy lifted her off the ground carrying her away from the monster, and leaving Samantha alone.

"Wait, Daddy! You're forgetting Samantha! No, Daddy stop!" Eleanor's Daddy, ignoring her desperate pleading, rounded the corner.

Looking into the monster's eyes Samantha tried not to cry. "P-please, don't hurt me Mr. I-I'll be good, I promise."

The monster paused, looking conflicted, its female friend wasn't as sympathetic. Shoving past her friend with a disgusted huff, it backhanded Samantha across the face. Falling to the ground with a yelp, Samantha screamed, and her Daddy's furious roar answered her.

A chunk of concrete impacted the ground in between the two monsters. As they attempted to regain their bearings, her Daddy barreled into their midst. Grabbing the female monster by the throat, Daddy threw her into the wall before turning to her male friend. Daddy's spinning lance activated briefly, the monster's scream didn't last long.

Turning back to the female monster, Daddy advanced towards it, raised lance leaving rose petals in its wake. Spitting at Daddy, it sneered, "Thanks for that Tin Daddy, you just did me a favor. That pitiful fuck wasn't worth my time, but he was rich, and a girl's got to eat." With a final laugh, the monster disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

After briefly surveying the area, Daddy turned towards Samantha, still sitting on the ground. Walking to its charge, the beast extended an armored hand, a circular rune on the back.

"I love you, Daddy."

()

Returning to the present with a surprised jolt, Theta looked around the small room, nothing had changed. Her Sister was sleeping soundly, the monster was still pretending to, and behind the window, life carried on as always in the deep.

Looking at the familiar circular marking on her hand, Theta found herself missing Daddy; after all, he'd given her his name. Theta, it was a good name, a strong name, strong like Daddy had been. Theta, Daddy's name was now her own. Theta, Θ, Theta.

She wasn't Samantha anymore, Samantha had been a weak, scared little girl, crying out for Daddy. Theta wasn't weak, she couldn't be, Daddy was with her, and Daddy would always protect her, no matter what.


	11. Broken Monsters

BROKEN MONSTERS

David had always been able to tell when he was being watched, that ability had been a bit of a curse last night. Understandably, a monster that could kill him one hundred different ways, watching him nonstop throughout the night was not particularly relaxing.

The monster in question was standing in its corner again, glaring at him as he ate alongside its smaller sibling, who was inhaling her food. "Can I have another Pep Bar, please?"

Damn those freakish, huge yellow eyes! "You've already had three! How many can you possibly eat?"

Timing the activation of her puppy dog eyes perfectly, Amanda gave David a chocolate encrusted smile. "Please Mr. Ordinary, just one more?" Relenting with a sigh, he stood to grab another bar off the wall, even after knowing him for less then two days, Amanda already had him wrapped around her little finger.

David walked to the supply wall and reached into the box of Pep Bars, only to find it empty. "Jesus Amanda, how many did you eat?"

Looking surprised and slightly irritated, Amanda raised her hands defensively. "I've only had…" Adopting a look of deep concentration, she attempted to count the, without doubt heinous, number she had eaten over the last day and a half. "Umm…lots. But Mr. Ordinary, there were loads left, I promise!"

Looking skeptical, David nodded, "I'm sure that's what happened, Amanda." Eyes roaming the wall, he searched for another box of the chocolaty bars the little girl was apparently addicted to. Happily he spotted one; he didn't need a temper tantrum in the confined space, especially if the girls yelling angered its larger sister. Unhappily, the above mentioned overly hostile sister was standing in front of it.

Gritting his teeth in preparation for dealing with the overly hostile entity, David walked towards the intimidating creature staring at him, arms crossed. "Could you step aside? Your sister wants a pep bar." A low growl and a slight tilt of its head was the only response.

"Look, I don't want to start a fight. Your sister's still hungry." The only response was a shake of her armored head.

"Sissy please, I love Pep Bars, _pleeeeassssse_?" The creature gave another irritated shake of its head.

"Please Sissy, just one more?" Releasing what must have been its equivalent to an angry sigh, the monster stepped aside.

Walking slowly around the irritable creature, David reached for one of the small bars, only for it to fly through the air and smack him in-between the eyes, before gently landing in front of the small girl waiting impatiently for her treat.

With something that sounded suspiciously like an arrogant chuckle, the angry metal clad abomination brushed past the stunned human and picked up its small charge. "Sissy, are we leaving now?" The nod Amanda received in response was accompanied by a feeling that David was becoming increasingly familiar with, dread.

"Goodbye Amanda, I'm going to miss you." Smiling slightly at the little girl looking concernedly at him from within her sister's arms, David waved a goodbye.

"Sissy, are we going back to the Family?" The creature answered with yet another nod.

Eyes lighting up as she gasped excitedly, Amanda's gaze turned towards David as she asked the question that would change his life forever. "Sissy, could David be a part of the Family?"

()

Confusion, Theta found, was an increasingly irritating and familiar emotion. Was her Sister insane? Why would she want the monster to come with them? It wasn't part of the Family, which meant that any Family members they ran across would be even more likely to attack them!

The monster from the look of it was just as confused as Theta, "I could come with you? Wouldn't I slow you down?" Of coarse you would slow us down you idiot! "Aren't you going to swim wherever you're going?" Barely resisting the urge to shriek at the irritating creature, Theta pointed towards her cracked helmet. "Oh, sorry about that by the way." Irritating, stupid creature!

"How long will it take to get to your destination?" That was a good question. Thinking briefly, Theta gestured between herself and her sister holding up three fingers. Gesturing between all of them, she shrugged before holding her arms far apart.

"Three days?" She nodded, "and with me it would take longer." With another nod, she studied the strange creature standing in front of her.

Looking directly into her blood red porthole for the first time, the monster asked her a final question. "How much more dangerous would I make it for her?" It was concerned for her Sister? Grudgingly, Theta felt a small amount of respect blossom within her chest for the strange creature.

"Mr. Ordinary, you wouldn't make things more dangerous for me! Sissy protects me from everything, and you can help too!" Ignoring the inane ramblings of her Sister, the creature maintained steady eye contact with her. That was…impressive, even Mother rarely attempted to make eye contact with her. Deciding to humor the strange creature, Theta gave an honest answer, a shrug. Truthfully she didn't know if it would make things more dangerous for them.

Nodding at her, looking deep in thought, the creature made its decision. "I'd like to come, I'll die here otherwise. I won't blame you if you refuse, but I'd like to give it a try." It was leaving the decision up to her? Why would it do that? Her sister was giving her a pleading stare and the creature hadn't done anything even remotely hostile towards either of them, well since it had thought she was a mindless monster that is, maybe taking it along wouldn't be the end of the world.

Already visualizing all the ways this could be a horrible decision, Theta gave a single sharp nod.

()

An irritated snort was more the reaction he had expected, an immediate dismissal and swiftly crushed hopes. Not for the creature to ponder his question, not for it to stand staring into his eyes as if trying to read his mind, searching for any alternative motives. After what seemed an eternity, the creature gave a quick nod before turning around and heading towards the gateway that lead to the rest of the hellish city.

"Wait, I need to grab some supplies." With a surprising lack of any irritated noises, the creature stopped, turned around, and leaned against the wall. Grabbing food, water, toiletries, ammo, a flashlight, and his Father's binoculars in quick succession, David looked around for the final item he felt he would need, his shotgun.

A strange noise that sounded almost like someone clearing their throat echoed throughout the small room. Turning towards the intimidating creature, David saw it holding his gun towards him, head tilted expectantly. Walking slowly towards it, he paused at arms length, the creature wasn't moving at all. Reaching slowly towards his gun, he was surprised to find that he was suddenly a foot off of the ground, staring directly into the monster's blood red porthole. With a rumbling growl, it nodded its head towards its sister, before relinquishing his gun. Despite not saying a word, its message was clear, I trust you for now, but touch her and I'll gut you like a pig.

Dropping David back onto his feet, it turned and lifted its ecstatic Sister off the ground, depositing her into some type of cage like basket adorned with ribbons that was attached to the creature's back.

Squealing with happiness, Amanda smiled broadly at David from her perch atop her sister's back. "Mr. Ordinary, we're going on an adventure!"

"Yeah, it should be…fun." Following the lanky creature out towards the loathsome city, David took a moment to ready himself; this was probably not going to end well.

()

The behemoth's mammoth corpse was not pleasant to be around, especially with her acute sense of smell. With a glare at the monster's mangled body, Theta sidestepped around it. The sooner she was away from here the better, she wasn't under any threat of vomiting, she'd learned to control that urge long ago, but still the smell was truly rancid. Judging from the sound of barely controlled gagging, the strange creature accompanying them had yet to become used to the smell of festering flesh.

Panting slightly after barely containing the contents of its stomach, the creature gestured for her attention. "H-hold up, w-where's the crossbow he used? Something with a little more range then my shotgun would be very welcome." She had to admit, the creature had a point, it wouldn't last long against an angry monster if it could only hurt them when they were already close.

"Ah, there we go." Striding past her, the creature headed towards the recently located arrowthrower resting against the wall eighty feet away. That was the opposite way they wanted to go! Restraining a growl at the stupid creature, Theta pulled the weapon through the air, purposely allowing it to come dangerously close to the creature's head.

With a surprised yelp, the creature ducked down arms covering its head protectively. Her Sister's amused giggle brought its attention back towards the two of them. Eyes narrowing in amusement, or irritation she couldn't tell which, it headed towards her. "Nice. Next time could you warn me? We are supposed to be working together after all."

Was it telling her what to do? To her surprise, Theta found that she had been growling without noticing it. Seeing the creature's growing alarm, she took a deep breath, consciously attempting to calm herself.

Realizing the stupid creature was still expecting an answer, she gave a quick nod before shoving the arrowthrower unceremoniously into its arms. Sighing mentally, Theta turned from the confusing creature and began the long trip towards her destination. Releasing a sigh, the creature moved to fall in step beside her.

Theta had the strangest feeling that both she and the creature by her side were thinking the same thing, today was going to be a long day.

()

They had passed many monsters during the hours of walking the streets of Rapture, most had seen Theta and stayed at some distance, this group however was proving more tenacious. They had been following the group for near an hour now; she had almost thought that the monsters she had been seeing were just locals. Recognizing the same monster four times had ruined that illusion, paying attention she could now say that she could recognize at least five.

The monsters following them were making her nervous, they had done a good job remaining undetected, truthfully they could have been following her small group for much longer then she had been aware. Monsters watching her as she passed through an area was pretty much standard, this however was unprecedented.

The creature at her side hadn't noticed the monsters watching them; though in its defense, its lowlight vision probably wasn't as good as hers. It wasn't completely inept though; it was watching the surrounding area vigilantly, eyes occasionally darting towards her to see how alarmed she was.

"You see something?" Nodding she held her hand up, fingers spread apart. "Five?" she gave another nod. "Where?" Loosing her already short patience, Theta decided that she was going to find out what these monsters wanted.

Hand darting out towards the window a monster thought was a good hiding place; Theta began to smile. She could feel its body, grotesque and twisted. She could feel its weapon, one of the rapid shooting ones. A barely audible crunch signaled the monster's hands and weapon being crushed by an invisible force. As the creature screamed in pain and surprise, Theta struck. Scream of agony morphing into one of surprise, the monster shot like a cannon out of the nearest building before landing at her feet.

"You're sure that he was following us?" Her withering glare silenced that foolish line of questioning. Gesturing toward the cursing monster at her feet, she signaled the creature following her to question it.

To her surprise it understood her gesture immediately, and crouched next to the writhing monster. "Why were you following us?"

"My hands! That fucking whore broke my hands!" Theta's low angry growl silenced the insolent monster.

"I'm going to ask one more time, if you don't answer me now you can answer my friend. Why were you following us?"

"F-fuck you, you little sh-" The monster's insults were interrupted by Theta's armored boot, as it began to apply pressure to its trachea.

Allowing the monster to squirm briefly the creature accompanying her asked the monster another question. "Are you ready to play nice yet? She can keep this up all day." The monster's nod was all she needed, and Theta released the pressure from the warped being's throat.

"Why are you following us?"

"The Family demanded it." What?

"What was your mission?"

"We were to locate a Vassal of Ascension." The questioning look the interrogator sent her was answered with a shrug; she had no clue what a Vassal of Ascension was.

"What is a Vassal of Ascension?"

"You travel with its guardian, outsider." It wanted her sister? It could pry her from her cold dead fingers.

"Who gave the order?"

"The voice of the Family!" Mother? Did it mean Mother? Why would Mother send monsters after her?

"Who is the voice of the Family?"

"I will not betray the prophet! You and the guardian will get no more!" This was getting nowhere. Reaching down Theta grabbed the monsters leg, after a brief pause she snapped it like a twig.

Wincing slightly at the sharp snapping sound and scream of agony, the impromptu interrogator continued. "We can keep this up all day if you want."

"What happens to my mortal shell matters not, blasphemers, for I will be one with her." Rolling her eyes, Theta continued her way of asking questions. This time the monster didn't even scream.

"Who is the voice of the Family? What does he want?"

"One with her." Moving onto the creature's foot wasn't as satisfying as it should have been. Crazy monsters aren't as fun to break as the ones that are at least somewhat sane.

"You really should answer us."

"One with her." Despite Theta's best efforts, and her best efforts were quite considerable, the monster would say nothing else, even after she'd broken every extremity and moved on to pulling teeth. She was fair, after every injury she gave the monster time to respond, and gained the same response every time. "Jesus, just kill him." Ignoring the whining of the creature attempting to distract her young Sister from her actions, Theta continued.

Its repetitive reply had become more of a gurgle; it was having trouble talking without teeth. She'd never gotten this far with a monster before, they normally died or gave in, this was a first, and it was exciting! Its hands were crushed into a bloody pulp, its feet were snapped in two, its legs had received a similar treatment, as well as the arms. With its teeth now all gone Theta had the somewhat distressing thought that she had nothing left to break.

The monster's low pained moans were beginning to irritate her, "Kill the poor bastard; he's not going to say anything useful." What else was there to break? It's heaving chest as it gasped desperately for air through a broken nose and toothless mouth, gained her attention. Could that work? She'd never done ribs before. A small burst of excitement shot through her veins, this could be a fun experiment! Coating her fingers in sharpened ice, Theta prepared herself.

With a slight squelching noise, her fingers sunk into the monster's soft belly. Gasping happily she felt something that made her near ecstatic; the monster had a spare rib! Fingers wrapping around the thin bone, Theta pulled, hard, with a wet squelch and a sharp crack its body relinquished the blood drenched bone. This time, this time the monster screamed.

"Sissy, I don't like that noise!" Pausing, giving the monster time to answer their question, Theta studied the bone held in her armored hand. What question was it supposed to answer again? Not that it mattered; it wasn't answering anything, just chanting endlessly.

"My God, just kill the poor fucker already!" Studying the monster at her feet, she was pleased to see that it wasn't bleeding that badly, all things considered. She could continue her important, and fun, work. Hand reentering the monster's body she grabbed the next rib, and with a savage yank relieved it of its bloody sheath.

"Sissy, make it stop yelling! It's scaring me!" Pausing once again, she was fair after all; she gave the monster another chance to answer. Idly, she found herself wondering if it could even speak anymore. It was still trying to, gurgling out its fanatical chant, though it was far from understandable by now. It was stubborn, she'd give it that. How many removed ribs could it live through? She was looking forward to finding out.

Raising her blood drenched hand, Theta prepared to relieve the monster of yet another rib. Before she could continue her fun however, something heavy slammed into her, knocking her away from her prey. As she spun to confront her attacker a dull thump sounded from behind her.

To her surprise her strange ally was standing before her glaring. Its arrowthrower was held in its hand and an arrow was buried in the monster's skull. It attacked her? With an angry shriek, she shoved the foolish creature away.

"It wasn't going to say anything! It probably couldn't even speak anymore!" Incensed, she shoved the idiotic creature again.

"It couldn't speak anymore! What you were doing was pointless and cruel! You were no better then them!" Pushing it once again, this time off its feet, she shrieked angrily gesturing to the dead monster.

Glaring back at her unflinchingly, the foolish monster revealed its trump card. "You were scaring your Sister!" What? Turning she could see her young charge, eyes screwed shut, hands covering her ears, rocking back and forth whimpering. She caused this? She scared her sister?

Understanding as to why Daddy left hit her full force, he had been able to tell. He had seen before anyone else. She was a monster, and she belonged in this horrible city.

()

To David's surprise it stopped, shoulders slumping in what might have been shame, it walked to its charge crouching to her level. Caressing the small girl's cheek with blood drenched fingers, it gained her attention. "You made the monster stop screaming, Sissy?" Shaking its helmeted head, the creature pointed to David. "Thanks Mr. Ordinary, that noise was scary!"

The subdued creature lifted its sister up, depositing her into the basket on its back, turning away it gestured for David to follow, refusing to make eye contact. It was acting…ashamed. That thing might have more human in it then he had given it credit for. What kind of monster felt ashamed for doing wrong?

The walk was decidedly more uncomfortable after the Splicer's horrible death; he didn't think that the creature had glanced at him once since the incident. Hours passed slowly and the need for a place to bed down for the night began to make itself apparent. For the first time in hours, David spoke, "We need to keep an eye out for somewhere to sleep." Still not looking at him, the creature nodded.

They needed a place that was easily defended, a place that was out of the way or at least hard to reach. "Do you know of an area near by?" The nod that answered him was the best thing he'd seen all day.

He really should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The creature guiding him stopped so suddenly that he almost walked into it. Crouching down it lifted its tired charge out of its basket and set her on the ground.

"Sissy, are we there?" Shaking its head at the child, the creature pointed towards several boxes of cargo.

"But I don't wanna hide!" Repeating the gesture with a low growl, the creature stared fixedly down the large hallway they were standing in. Realizing that argument was futile at this point, the child ran to the boxes, ducking behind them.

It was then that David heard what the creature had heard earlier, distant yells, rapid pops of gunfire, small explosion, and inhuman roars of mindless rage, and they were heading their way. A Splicer rounded the corner ahead of them, sprinting as fast as it could. Pulling his crossbow out, David aimed towards the oncoming Splicer, only for the creature at his side to push the weapon down gently with a shake of its head.

As another Splicer rounded the corner, this one clutching a bloody arm, the first passed them, not even sparing them a glance. As it passed David saw something that made everything click, the Splicer's eyes were wide, terrified, they were fleeing something. A third Splicer rounded the corner, this one limping badly. Before she could clear the corner a proverbial hail of gunfire slammed into her, cutting her clean in two.

What type of gun could do that? Whatever this was, David really wanted to be as far away as possible. His inhuman partner was making a strange noise; if he didn't know better he'd have called it a whimper, which more then anything else made David incredibly nervous.

Thundering footsteps and mindless screaming signaling its arrival, a mammoth armored abomination rounded the corner. It looked like some kind of Big Daddy, a type that David was unfamiliar with. While still towering, it was easily seven and a half feet in height; it wasn't as large as the other types that he'd seen. In its hand it held a huge four barreled gun, it was still smoking.

Pausing, it surveyed the two new beings it had stumbled upon, horrid scream dieing briefly in its throat. His ally made the strange sound again, this time there was no doubt, it was whimpering. With a pained groan the unfamiliar abomination began to twitch spasmodically, after a few seconds lightning exploded out of it, causing it to stumble, slightly dazed.

Grimy porthole jerking back up to look at the scared human and his inhuman ally, the creature's insane screaming began again. The noise, while not as jarring as his allies shrieks, was more disturbing, there was no reason for its screams, no message it was trying to convey, it was screaming because it could do nothing else.

Inhuman scream rising in volume, morphing into something more akin to a battle cry, the beast lunged forward, strange gun beginning to spin.


	12. Bad Father Figures

BAD FATHER FIGURES

These rouge Daddies always made her sad, their Daughters had died and now all they could do was scream. Theta didn't want to fight it; she wanted to let it go about its business. Its similarity to her own Daddy hadn't escaped her. Unfortunately it was a threat to her, her human ally, and more importantly her charge and that was unacceptable.

Its spinney gun was already moving; with a flick of her wrist she tossed her human ally out of the line of fire, barely in time to avoid an untimely end. Simultaneously, she leapt gracefully over the stream of bullets emitted by this newest threat. Flipping in midair, she landing on its shoulders and, shrieking horribly, allowed lightning to flow through her body into the bad Daddy. Pushing herself off of its shoulders with all of her considerable might, she flipped backwards before landing on the ground once again.

Maybe the Daddy that had loved its daughter was still inside the broken monster somewhere. Raising her hands above her head, Theta began making the most soothing noise she could, a slightly raspy cooing. The rouge Daddy paused, insane scream dieing briefly in its throat, seemingly confused by the strange behavior of its opponent. For a second Theta thought that she would be able to resolve this without violence, its mammoth body slamming into hers crushed that brief hope.

()

Being tossed into a pile of trash is unpleasant at the best of times, but when an invisible force is responsible for it it's downright disconcerting. A familiar shriek of rage brought David back from his brief hiatus with reality, looking up from the pile of refuse he was sitting in; he saw his monstrous ally get body slammed by its larger, crazier counterpart.

The rusty metal abomination continued running after impact, and not relinquishing its grip on its smaller enemy's throat, ran full out towards the wall. A second before impact there was a soft pop and his ally disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Unable to react in time, the insane creature, still screaming mindlessly, slammed into the wall with a crunch.

With another barely audible pop, his ally reappeared in mid air behind the stunned monster. Landing on its shoulders, she sunk her mammoth spear like needle into the monster's back, earning a pained scream from the beast.

David realized, with a twinge of shame, that he wasn't assisting his ally in this vicious fight. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight that thing one on one, that didn't mean he couldn't shoot the damn thing though. With renewed purpose, David began searching for his crossbow.

()

The rouge Daddy's scream of pain saddened Theta, she didn't like harming it, but it hadn't given her a choice. Twisting her harvester, she buried it deeper in the Daddy's back, earning another pained scream from the monster.

Tearing itself from the wall it had been stuck in, the rouge Daddy began attempting to dislodge her from its back. Avoiding its first attempt at grabbing her over its shoulder, she felt an iron hard grip latch onto her ankle.

Before she could react, she was torn from the furious creature's back and slammed viciously into the wall. The wind was torn from her lungs by the savage impact, before the Daddy could do further harm to her its head jerked forward as a dull thunk echoed from the Daddy's helmet.

The rouge Daddy dropped her and spun around, endless scream increasing in volume, facing its newest target its spinney gun began to move. Judging from the broken arrow on the ground next to the manic Daddy, her foolish ally had just angered one of the most dangerous entities in the fallen city.

Eyes closing, Theta felt her body begin to loosen. Disappearing in a puff of violet smoke, she reappeared in between her ally and the furious monster. Wrapping her arms around the terrified human, she disappeared once again, taking the both of them out of the line of fire, seconds before a hail of bullets tore through the air.

Reappearing in a cluttered corner, Theta released her ally, "Holy shit! How'd you do that?" Ignoring her human companion, she slammed her palm on the ground. A ripple of energy traveled along the metal floor, as it warped upward, slowly forming a makeshift barrier that they could take shelter behind.

Good, her ally was safe…er now. Waving to gain its attention, Theta pointed to it and then the ground at their feet. "You want me to stay here?" Nodding in confirmation, she stood and turned toward the rampaging Daddy.

With a pop Theta disappeared, reappearing before the screaming Daddy. Flicking her wrist, she froze its spinney gun, as it, still screaming mindlessly, pulled the trigger. Pain tore through her side as the gun began to unload its deadly payload.

The pain wasn't an issue; she knew that she would heal from the injury. The shriek of metal tearing itself apart met Theta's satisfied ears, and made any injury she had sustained instantly worth it. The frozen weapon, as it tried to fire, tore apart its delicate inner workings, and its multiple spinning barrels jerked to a stop.

The rouge Daddy paused, seemingly confused, its weapon wasn't tearing apart its enemies. Incessant scream increasing in volume, it came to a decision. Smiling ruthlessly behind its visor, it used its weapon a final time, savagely breaking it over Theta's head as she moved to attack.

Groggy from the unexpected blow, Theta was unable to react as the furious creature kicked her in the head with an armored boot. Collapsing to the ground dazedly she attempted to regain her bearings. Before she could, pain tore through her, as the relentless creature stepped down on her hand, crushing it. An agonized shriek sounded from between her lips as the fallen Daddy grabbed her head in one huge hand, effortlessly lifting her limp body from the ground.

Still screaming insanely, the Daddy slammed her helmeted head into the ground. As she flailed weakly, Theta attempted to gather sufficient will to unleash her awesome power, unfortunately having your head slammed viciously into the ground is detrimental to ones concentration.

Scream taking on an almost satisfied tone, the Monster smashed her head into the ground again, and again, and again. Blackness was creeping across her vision. Distantly Theta heard a faint thwack and the sound of something falling to the ground. She felt herself land on the ground motionless, but was too far gone to react.

As the once noble creature turned from her motionless body screaming a challenge, Theta felt darkness consume her, and the last thing she saw was a broken arrow lying innocently on the ground.

()

Bravado, David found, didn't last very long once your enormous enemy was staring at you. Distantly he noticed that the monstrous entity was already furious; he might as well act like he knew what he was doing.

"Hey rusty, why don't you fight something that can fight back?" He didn't think the armored abomination understood his confrontational shout, but the challenge in his tone was unmistakable. If a crossbow bolt to the back of the head hadn't angered the monster, his defiant yells certainly had.

Savage screams deepening into an answering roar, the monster charged, head lowered. Rolling out of the way, David fumbled with the first crossbow bolt he could grab, as the monster slammed head first into the wall. Loading the bolt, he aimed at the monster busy tearing itself from the wall. As it spun back towards him, scream of rage near deafening, David fired.

By some ridiculously implausible chance the bolt hit one of the injection ports of the monster's suit. Punching easily through the thin material it lodged itself in the beast's bicep. Simultaneously beast and man stopped what they were doing, shocked by this newest occurrence.

The monster's scream, which had briefly died out as it realized it was wounded, came back with a vengeance. It lunged forward with murderous intent, only for an explosion to tear through its recently wounded bicep. David who was unfamiliar with the coloration of the various types of crossbow bolts had chosen an explosive bolt in his desperate fumbling. The monster's entire bicep was torn apart in the blast; its left arm, now immobile, hung limply from tattered flesh and a severely damaged bone.

For a second, David felt elation surge through his veins. He had wounded it! He had hurt the monster more then even his savage ally could. As the monster's screams took on an even more deranged tone, he came to the sobering realization that it was still capable of killing him easily even with only one arm.

Before he could react, the monster tore effortlessly through his makeshift cover. Towering over the comparably diminutive human, it lifted him off the ground with its working arm. Constant scream grinding to a brief stop, the metal encased abomination glared through its visor at the impudent human who had dared to harm it.

Suddenly, David found himself sailing through the air, as the monster, huffing dismissively, tossed him into the nearest building. Landing for the second time that day in something best left undescribed, he surveyed the new area he found himself in. Judging from the festering meat in display cases, it had once been a butchers shop.

With a thundering crash, the enraged titan burst through the wall of the dilapidated store. Smashing through a row of display cases it stormed towards David. Still dazed from the harsh landing, he was barely able to roll out of the way from the mammoth boot attempting to crush his head. Huge fist grabbing David's shirt before he could get too far away, the monster hurled him once again, this time into the far wall.

David's back slammed into the metal door of the store's walk in freezer. As the monster crashed through yet another display case, a desperate idea swam through David's rattled brain. Pulling himself to his feet he tore the heavy metal door open. Behind him he heard the monster speed up as its scream increased in volume, unwilling to let its prey escape.

Stumbling into the still working freezer, David slammed the reinforced door closed behind him. A second later the incensed monster plowed into it, pounding furiously as it screamed in rage. Almost hyperventilating, David allowed himself to fall exhausted against the far wall.

Ignoring the freezing temperature, he pulled his shotgun from his pack. He didn't know if the thing could get through the door, but he wasn't willing to risk being caught unarmed.

After what seemed several hours, but in reality must have been only a few minutes, the beast punched the door a final time. Loosing a futile cry of rage at its prey escaping, it walked away, thunderous footsteps echoing in the confined space.

Allowing several more minutes to pass in freezing silence, David thanked any god he could think of, for allowing him to live through the horrible encounter. Standing stiffly, he limped to the large door. Grasping the handle he pulled, only for the old metal to finally give out.

For several seconds, he stared in shock at the metal handle he held in his hand, very much separate from the door it was supposed to open. Closing his eyes in the frigid environment he sat back down, a small burst of mist emanating from his mouth.

Somewhere, somewhere up in the clouds, beings far more powerful then he were laughing at him.

()

A chocked sob echoed in the confined space, as Samantha sat alone in the dark. She was sorry! Didn't they see that? She hadn't meant to hit Papa Suchong; she just didn't want to go near the dead person!

She was so hungry, and her throat felt like she'd swallowed razorblades. Her eyes had stopped making tears long ago. She had no idea how long she'd been stuck here, in the dark empty room.

Where were Momma and Papa? Why weren't they saving her? She was sorry she ran away!

Hugging herself, she rocked slowly back and forth. What had the scary people wearing white done to her? She didn't know how long she'd been stuck in this horribly empty room, but shouldn't she have died of starvation by now?

As the terrified child succumbed to another fit of sobbing and coughing, an unfamiliar noise echoed throughout her own personal hell. The door was opening!

That door was the only feature in the otherwise empty room. Samantha had never hated anything or anyone in her short life but she hated that door more then she had ever thought possible. She didn't know how long she had sat in front of it, screaming for help and beating her hands on the unforgiving metal until they had bled. The door never responded, never moved. It didn't care that she was a terrified little girl alone in the dark. But now, it was opening!

Slowly she turned her starved body to the door, as the brightest light she'd ever seen flooded her prison.

"There's one in here already." She didn't know that voice.

"What? Oh yes, Suchong remembers that one. I'm surprised it hasn't died of starvation by now." That voice she knew. Curling into a tighter ball, Samantha whimpered as Papa Suchong entered her prison.

Standing imperiously over her, Papa Suchong continued. "Are you willing to behave now? If not, Suchong could leave you in here with our latest failure, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Eyes slow to adjust to the incredibly bright light, Samantha hadn't seen the other people in white following Papa Suchong, or the small person they held between them.

Samantha's eyes focused slowly on the small body held in between the two white wearing people. It was a boy, wearing only loose fitting white pants. His skin had a sick greenish tinge to it, just like hers, and his eyes glowed yellow, just like hers. For some reason the small boy staring blankly into space scared Samantha horribly, even more so then Papa Suchong.

Looking to the angry man glaring at her impatiently, Samantha nodded hurriedly; she didn't want to be near the scary boy anymore.

"Good." Turning without another word Papa Suchong walked briskly from the room, leaving the emaciated Samantha to catch up.

"Papa Suchong! Papa Suchong, wait please!" To her surprise Papa Suchong paused, glaring, giving her a chance to catch up. Pointing towards the boy staring blankly into space, Samantha asked the question that wouldn't leave her alone. "Papa Suchong, who's that?"

Not even sparing the scary child a glance, he answered. "A failed experiment."

As Samantha walked past the two white wearers and the scary child, still pointing absently at him, something happened, something she would remember, even after the memories of her true parents had been long forgotten.

The boy's blank, soulless eyes met hers briefly, and for a split second an emotion flashed through them, an emotion Samantha would later identify as hunger. Moving faster then she or his handlers could react; the boy's mouth opened, and clamped down on her still pointing hand.

Samantha screamed.

()

A scream awoke Theta, the scream of a child in distress. The scream of her charge in distress!

"You're a bad Daddy!"

Savage shriek cleaving through the air, Theta launched herself off of the ground and towards the noise. She impacted the rouge Daddy's back with the force of a missile, upsetting its balance. Unfortunately, with surprising speed, the Daddy tore her from its back and tossed her into the wall.

As she leapt back to her feet she saw something surprising, the Daddy's left are was destroyed, its bicep torn to ribbons, and the rest of the arm hung limply from its shoulder. How long had she been unconscious?

Ducking under the monsters flailing punch, Theta sent a wave of pure concussive force into the beast's chest. With a strangled howl it flew into the wall, leaving a Daddy shaped dent in the metal surface.

Diving forward she pulled her arm back, wreathing it in flame. This time when she hit the bad Daddy, she impacted with the force _and_ explosive power of a missile. Pulling her arm back for another blow, she was unprepared for the monsters surprisingly quick counterattack.

Using all of its unnatural strength, the monster punched her in the face with its working arm. For her poor, poor helmet this was the last straw. The Daddy's massive fist tore through her already damaged visor and crushed her nose. Reeling backwards, blinded by involuntary tears, Theta was unable to avoid the Daddy's next attack, as it kicked her in the chest and sent her flying across the hallway.

Blinking away the tears from her broken nose, Theta opened her eyes, and was greeted with blackness. Her helmet must have spun when she was hit. With an irritated huff she tore her ruined helmet off of her head and tossed it aside.

Wincing slightly in the unfamiliar, unfiltered light, she glared at her attacker as it stormed towards her. It had knocked her out! The Daddy bashed a crate out of the way. It had threatened her Sister! The Daddy, scream rising in volume, smashed effortlessly through a pile of ruble. It had broken her helmet! The Daddy extended its good arm towards her, in preparation of an easy kill. It was going to die!

With a shriek, Theta disappeared, allowing the Daddy to run headfirst into the wall yet again. Reappearing on its left side Theta smiled. While earlier she would have felt guilt hurting the Daddy, it had gone too far. She was going to enjoy this!

Faster then the eye could see, her hands latched onto the Daddy's broken arm, one grabbing it at the wrist, the other grabbing the exposed bone. Twisting savagely, before the beast could react; Theta pulled, and was rewarded with a snapping noise and a scream of pure agony.

Dancing backwards from the monsters wild counterattack, she waved its now severed arm at it, mimicking an enthusiastic greeting. Ducking under another sloppy swing, she spun in place, leg extended, knocking the Daddy's legs out from under it.

Jumping onto its chest, she smiled down at it. Scream dead in its throat, it raised its arm in an attempt to ward her off. Before it could interfere she attacked. Striking with all of her augmented might she punched it in the visor, its visor which hadn't been maintained over the years shattered instantly.

The face that leered up at her from behind the shattered glass wasn't recognizable as human. It was grey, desiccated and rotting. Lips pulled back in a constant sneer, eyelids removed surgically, white eyes glared into her yellow.

That wasn't a Daddy, it was a monster. Grasping the severed arm with renewed determination, Theta raised it over her head. As the monster's near constant scream began once again, she acted. With a sickening crunch, the broken bone at the end of the monster's arm entered its forehead.

Twisting her makeshift spear as the monster flailed in a final desperate attempt to fend her off, Theta sunk it deeper. The monster thrashed in agony unable to evict its attacker. She gave another savage twist and with a final crunch the monster's skull gave way, with that the incessant screams, along with the monster, died once and for all.

Whatever that thing was, it wasn't a Daddy. Daddies were knights in shining armor; they were handsome, like princes. They did not look like walking corpses with crazed white eyes! Whatever that thing was, it wasn't a Daddy!

Gingerly grasping her broken nose as it throbbed in pain, Theta pulled it back into place earning herself another sharp twinge of pain. A whimper attracted her attention. Standing, she saw her Little Sister huddled in a corner, crying in fear.

Concern for her younger sibling gripping her, Theta walked over to her, before crouching to her level. "S-sissy?" Brushing a tear from her sister's face, Theta smiled at her. "Did you unzip it?" Nodding in confirmation, she lifted her sister from the ground. Hugging the small girl to her chest, she kissed her gently on the forehead, attempting to reassure the shaken child.

Looking onto Theta's eyes her sister nodded knowingly. "He was a bad Daddy." Smiling softly at her diminutive sister, Theta nodded, a truer statement hadn't been said all day.

A look of faint alarm spread across the child's face. "Sissy, where's Mr. Ordinary?" That was a good question. Where was her irritating ally? Depositing her sister in her basket, Theta cast her unfiltered gaze around the recent war zone. There was no ruble or debris that was large enough to be hiding it. Her eyes eventually landed on what appeared to be an old meat market, judging from the smell. The small store looked like a bomb had gone off inside it.

Sounding near tears, her sister voiced her concerns. "Sissy, do you think the bad Daddy unzipped him?" To her surprise Theta found herself hoping the quirky creature was still among the living. She still wasn't sure about it, it was confusing. She was fairly sure however, that it wasn't a threat, it always seemed concerned for her sister's welfare and seemed to want to look out for Theta's as well. The idea of needing its help was ridiculous, but still, having another entity concerned for your wellbeing was a…nice and unfamiliar feeling.

Stepping into the destroyed room, Theta glanced around. There was more debris in this area and she could smell the strange creature, it was close but not in this room. Her softly glowing eyes found a large metal door near the back of the store, a large metal door covered in dents about the size of the Daddy impersonator's fist.

Smiling to herself, Theta had to admit that her ally was clever. It had barricaded itself in one of the few areas the monster would have had trouble reaching. Seeing that the handle to open the door was damaged, Theta closed her eyes and concentrated. Extending a hand calmly, she felt the doorframe begin to expand. Clenching her fist, she felt the metal door compress in on itself slightly. Inhaling sharply, she jerked her arm back, and with the sound of tearing metal the large door flew over her head and out of the store before landing with a resounding crash in the hallway outside.

A wave of freezing air hit the sensitive skin of her recently exposed face. Jerking backwards slightly in surprise, Theta saw that her ally wasn't as clever as she had given it credit for. Its body was huddled in the far corner of the room, now revealed to be freezer. Its slightly blue hands still held its beanoclears in a death grip, while its scattergun rested by its side. Its closed eyes and the calm look on its face combined to make it look almost like it was sleeping.

To her surprise, Theta felt a pang of remorse that the creature was no more. It had been interesting, it had made her curious about the world beyond Rapture's desiccated corpse, she was…sad that it was gone.

Distantly, Theta was aware of her sister's devastated sobs.


	13. Coming to an Understanding

COMING TO AN UNDERSTANDING

The first thing that David was aware of was hands, unnaturally warm hands, massaging his arms, after several blissful seconds they moved to his own hands, spreading much needed warmth to his frozen fingers. If this was the introduction to Heaven, then David really wasn't complaining.

As the amazing hands moved up his arms, bringing wonderful warmth all the while, David decided to take his other senses into account. Eyes opening blearily, he saw the Angel that was giving him his much needed massage. Though his eyes were still blurry, he was able to see her general outline, the golden aura outlining her body, the dark shoulder length hair that gently brushed the base of her slender neck, the near porcelain paleness of her skin. Life, or death as it were, was good.

Like most delusions, this one came to an end as real life intervened. The slight but distinct smell of smoke interrupted David's near perfect moment. Why would there be a fire in Heaven? Groggy brain coming to the next most logical conclusion, David swung at the flame wreathed, evil succubus' head. Foul Demon falling backwards with a surprised squawk, he shot to his feet, or at least attempted to.

He was stopped by a small body slamming into his chest accompanied by the ecstatic yell of a small child. "Mr. Ordinary, you're okay! I was so worried!" That…that wasn't right. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, David looked at the little girl latched onto his chest. In a split second it all came back to him, the storm, the lighthouse, the Splicers, Amanda, and the Big Sister.

David turned to the "Demon" as the blood drained from his face. Shocked yellow eyes stared at him from beneath a mat of dark greasy hair. For several seconds David was horribly confused as to the identity of this newcomer, a glance at her armored body promptly dismissed any lingering confusion. He had just punched the Big Sister in the nose.

To his surprise she didn't look monstrous. There were no cancerous growths marring her face, no hideously warped facial features. She looked human, or far more human then he had expected. Her eyes were large, yellow and glowed softly like her sister's. Her face was thin, as if she hadn't had quite enough to eat, not to the point were she would be considered emaciated, but she definitely looked underfed. Because of her thin features her already large eyes appeared almost freakishly huge. Her skin was not "near porcelain" as he had thought earlier, it was pale, very pale, and he could clearly make out the blood vessels running beneath it. If he didn't know better he'd have called her an albino, but her dark hair ruined that assumption. On the other hand, her hair, that he originally thought was brown, really could be any color; it was so dirty it was honestly hard to tell.

David's examination of his companion's face ended abruptly, when said face twisted into a furious scowl and a rumbling growl split the air. Before his temperamental companion could disembowel him, David attempted to calm the volatile situation. "Are you okay? I'm sorry about that." Chuckling nervously he continued, "I was disoriented and didn't know what was going on. I actually thought I was dead, and with the fire in the background I jumped to the first logical conclusion."

Judging from the utterly confused look on his companion's face, she had no idea what he was talking about. Now David wasn't a particularly religious sort, if he was honest with himself the thought of something powerful enough to create everything made him decidedly uncomfortable, but not knowing about the afterlife, how in the world does that happen? "You know Heaven and Hell, eternal salvation versus eternal damnation."

The blank look on her face didn't change, except for a slight rising of an eyebrow. "Okay, what do you think happens after you die?" As it shrugged he continued, "Basically if you're a good person and treat others well, you go to Heaven and spend eternity in bliss. On the other hand, if you're bad and torture others you go to Hell and spend eternity in endless torment. Or that's what a lot of people believe, I'm not entirely sure if it's real or not."

With a skeptical snort, the irritable entity stood and walked away from David, further into the room. The room he found himself in was small, far smaller then the vault anyway. A fire had been constructed in its center out of a random assortment of furniture, with a hole in the ceiling serving as ventilation. Standing slowly, David made his way over to the fire, he still felt like he was made of ice.

Amanda smiled at him as he stiffly sat before her at the fire. "Do you want some food Mr. Ordinary? I bet you're very hungry!" The Pep Bar held in the small girl's hand looked quite appetizing, taking it from her with a soft "thank you" David studied the silent figure vigilantly watching for any threats out the window.

"So…do you eat?" For several seconds the creature didn't respond, as if she was unsure she was the one being addressed. When she realized that David was waiting for an answer, she rolled her softly glowing eyes and nodded. "So…do you want any food?" Ignoring the human and his attempts to extend the olive branch, she turned pointedly back to the window, resuming her watchful vigil.

"If there is one thing I learned about you when we first met, it's that you have an amazing sense of smell or hearing, I can't really tell which, maybe you've got both. Not that it matters, my point is that you would detect a threat from a mile away. So why don't you sit down by the fire and try not to brood yourself to death." The intimidating being shooting him a furious glare, reminded him once again of what she really was. He might have made a grave error in judgment.

()

That creature talked far, far too much, but it had a point in its blunt, borderline idiotic way. With a disgusted huff, Theta stood and meandered over to the fire. Seeing this, the creature smirked at her in its infuriatingly arrogant way and responded, "So now that you've submitted yourself to my horrid company, do you want any food?" Waving a rancid can of meat in the air, it attempted to entice her to consume the foul food.

Theta gestured dismissively towards the meat, nose wrinkling in disgust. It shrugged and, smirk not faltering, stuck a spoon into the disgusting substance. Shoveling the food into its mouth it continued smirking at her, until as its chewing slowed and horror dawned on its face, it turned and spat the rancid meat back into its can. Its sense of smell must be much, much worse then hers if it couldn't detect that the meat had gone bad.

"You knew, didn't you?" She couldn't tell if it was amused or irritated, maybe both. "You couldn't have told me?" With a slight chuckle she shook her head, and pulled a Pep Bar through the air into her waiting hand. "Ah yes, your silent act, so are you just unwilling to talk to me, or are you unable to?" Narrowing her eyes at the inquisitive human she held up two fingers. "Two? Oh, you are unable to?" Rolling her eyes, she shook her head, and took a bite out of her Pep Bar savoring the familiarly comforting chocolaty taste.

"What? Then what does the two mean?" Smirking at the foolish creature, she waited for her meaning to sink in. "Ahhh…you mean both. That…that's quite unkind of you."

Theta had hoped that the fact that she couldn't respond to it would dissuade the creature from continuing its line of questioning, she was disappointed. "So, you saved me from the freezer? I'm also going to assume that you killed that Big Daddy that was extending his warmest greetings to us as well." Her derisive snort didn't provoke any reaction from the human, mentally resigning herself, Theta nodded and ate another bite of her Pep Bar.

"Thanks, I mean it. You could very easily have left me to die, and you didn't. I've got to admit, it feels like thanking you isn't enough. If there's any way I can help out, just let me know." To her irritation, Theta was surprised and impressed by the creature's offer. The creature's smirk spread into an honest smile; briefly she was confused as to why. As the creature extended its hand towards her she understood why it was smiling, she had smiled at it first.

"Right, we weren't really properly introduced. As I'm sure you've guessed, my name isn't actually Mr. Ordinary, despite what your Sister insists." With a brief, and surprising, flush of shame, Theta realized she had never really considered its name. It had always been a monster to her, and then a creature once it had allied itself with her; the thought that it was actually a person with a life of its own wasn't one that had crossed her mind.

"I'm David, it is a pleasure to meet you, now that you're not trying to kill me that is. Do you have a name?" Smile widening, Theta nodded ignoring the crea-David's extended hand; she didn't understand the meaning of the strange gesture. It-he had finally asked a question she could answer. Holding up her hand she pointed to the symbol on the back of it, her identity, and her Father's. "What is that? Some kind of Asian symbol?" Of coarse it-he wouldn't understand her symbol.

"Can you write it out?" Theta could feel her frustration rising, with an angry growl she shook her head. "You can't write? Can you read?" Glaring at the irritating creature Theta nodded, of coarse she could read! Did it think she was stupid? "Then why can't you write your name out?" Eyes closed as she attempted to calm her building frustration, Theta held out her hand and attempted to mime writing, in doing so it shook near uncontrollably.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude. I can't imagine how hard it must be to be unable to communicate with others. I think I'm… just going to shut up now." She didn't need its pity! Her younger sisters could understand her well enough, everyone else didn't matter. Her brooding and the creature's awkward silence were interrupted by an energetic yell.

"Lookit, Lookit! I found a voicebox! It's different then some of the others, it doesn't have a voice in it! See?" Activating the small device, her charge held it up, incredibly proud of her discovery. Waltz music sounded from within the handheld machine, echoing around their newest hiding space.

With the music came memories, of watching hundreds of walking angels moving in synchronization with the elegant sound, of her Daddy's unending patience with her as she tried and failed to imitate the angel's complicated movements. Theta had been innocent then, she wasn't any longer, but it was nice to reminisce. Time hadn't been kind to her; her innocence had been taken from her by force, along with her childhood.

As always, thoughts of the past brought up thoughts of Daddy, and what she must have done wrong that caused him to abandon her.

()

As his inhuman companion stared into space with a slightly sad smile on her face, her younger sister grabbed David's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Come on Mr. Ordinary, let's have fun!" Already spinning with her arms raised above her head, Amanda dragged him into the open so they could dance.

David couldn't help but smile at the energetic child, she was doing much more of the dancing then he, he just held her hand and rocked back and forth in time with the music. Dancing after all had never been one of his strong suits.

()

"Come on Mr. Bubbles, let's have fun!" Hand clenching her Daddy's as tightly as she could, Samantha attempted to force him to dance with her. Samantha's Daddy tried, and failed, to convince her to continue their job, his low moans of protest echoed throughout the confined space.

A soft giggle followed the inhuman moan, "Daddy don't be silly, the angels aren't going to go anywhere." As the graceful music echoed down the dank passageway, Samantha did her best to imitate the graceful flowing movements of the walking angels, in her mind she did it perfectly, in reality her movements were clumsy and irregular.

After several minutes Daddy slowly started to join in, shuffling back and forth and swaying with the music. "That's it Daddy! Come on let's dance!"

After what seemed a blissful eternity of childish play, several walking angels stumbled onto the bonded pair, while they stayed well away from the duo; they ended Daddy's brief playfulness.

Samantha looked up at her large father with a sad sigh, it appeared fun time was over.

()

A childish giggle broke Theta's brief lapse into memory, her sister was twirling around the cr-David, while he stumbled gracelessly about, in a horrid mockery of actual dance. To her surprise a chuckle slipped past her lips, attracting the attention of the dancing duo.

"I'd like to see you dance! I've never done anything like this a day in my life." Theta's amusement turned quickly to irritation; she wouldn't dance for anyone, anyone except Daddy. Choking back an irritated growl, she stood and pointed imperiously towards the small bed languishing in the corner of the room.

"Sissy no, I don't want to go to bed now!" Now growling audibly, Theta gestured towards the bed once again. It was late, and her sister needed sleep, even if she didn't want it.

It was always hard to tell when night arrived in the fallen city; it was only from years of experience that Theta could. The city was slightly quieter, as if it realized that it was time for a brief break in the endless cycle of hatred and pain, the few lights that still worked as they were designed dimmed in an imitation of night on the surface.

Amanda stormed to the bed, arms flailing in anger. "Fine!" Yawning expansively, she threw herself onto the bed. "But I'm not tired! I'm going to stay up all night!" Theta couldn't help but smirk at her petulant sister, with in a few minutes she was going to be out like a light.

"The tact with which you handle your sister leaves me speechless." Theta might not know what tact was but she could tell sarcasm when she heard it. Giving David a withering glare she summoned another Pep Bar into her waiting hand.

Seemingly set on being as infuriating as possible, he grinned back at her unfazed. "You really like those don't you?" Unsure why he was interested in her eating habits, Theta nodded. "In that case, I think I might have been a little premature in blaming Amanda for the missing Pep Bars, don't you?" Taken aback by the human's surprisingly observant realization, all Theta could do was nod and stare at the floor as her face turned crimson.

She glared pointedly at the human, daring him to comment on her noticeable blush. Despite her glare his grin spread even further across his stupid, smug, stupid face, as she took another bite from the bar of chocolaty deliciousness she held in her hand. Pep Bars, Theta decided, were too good for their own good.

()

When his pale companion blushed she did so all over, her entire face was flushed a truly remarkable shade of red. Seeing her blush was surprising, and relieving at the same time. It showed without a doubt that she wasn't some mindless monster set on defending her charge, and also showed that she was far more human then he had given her credit for.

David decided to attempt to end her embarrassment; after all he really didn't need her hating him anymore then she already did. "I have to admit," He drawled, snatching a Pep Bar from the pile near the fire. "These things are very nice. I think they might be just about the only thing I'll miss about this city."

The pale skinned girl sitting across the fire nodded, yellow eyes wide with surprise; she seemed shocked that he was attempting to ease her embarrassment. A slight smile slowly spread across her features, as she took another bite of the tasty treat and hummed her approval.

The two unlikely allies sat in an almost companionable silence, enjoying their snacks. As his armored companion finished hers and reached for another, David spoke. "Do you know the thing I miss the most about the surface?"

Feeling two glowing eyes fixed on him, David continued. "It's not the sun, it's not the wind, and hell it's not even my family."

Except for the slight snoring of their young companion and the crackling of the fire, the room was completely silent. "I miss the sense of life that permeated damn near everything on the surface! You never really noticed it, but it was there. You'd walk into an area and know that you weren't alone, even if there weren't any humans there."

Depressed frustration was plain on David's face as he continued. "This city, this dead fucking city, doesn't have that. You walk into an area and it feels dead. You feel like you've disturbed a grave or something, and you should leave immediately. It's wrong, on so many levels."

As his inhuman partner stared at him trying to comprehend what her world must seem like to him, David carried on, staring into the fire. "When I found life here, for this brief second I was ecstatic. Suddenly I wasn't alone; there were others down here, others who could help. Meeting said life forms put a damper on that hope pretty quickly though."

An unexpected sound interrupted David before he could continue; his companion had apparently decided to extend an olive branch. For a split second he thought that she was growling at him, but this sound wasn't the familiar blood curdling growl he'd heard before, it was softer, it didn't rumble inside her chest, it sounded almost like someone trying, and failing, to whistle.

His inhuman companion was hissing at him.

Perplexed, David looked up from the fire and directed his gaze towards the source of the noise. She was sitting across from him, pointing to the strange circular symbol on the back of her hand, all the while making the incessant hissing noise. That symbol had represented her name, or at least that was his interpretation. Was she trying to tell him her name?

"Does your name start with that sound?" Eyes brightening with pleasant surprise the incredibly pale girl nodded happily, obviously impressed he had guessed it the first time. "Do you want me to guess your name?" Still smiling, she nodded and gestured for him to begin.

"Sabrina?" Looking slightly put out, she shook her head.

"Sadie?" All he got in answer was another shake of her head.

"Ummm…Sofia?" That was a negative.

"Stephanie?" Nope.

"Susan?" No.

"Selena?" Releasing a frustrated huff, she buried her head in her hands.

"Don't tell me your name is actually Sissy!" The look of shock and contempt that flashed across her face answered his question before she could shake her head.

"Samara?" To his surprise recognition flashed across her pale face. "Your name is Samara?" She shook her head before holding two fingers close together. Her message was clear; he was close.

"Samantha?" Broad smile spreading slowly across her face, the newly dubbed Samantha nodded. "Well it is nice to formally meet you Samantha. If I said it's been a pleasure I'd be lying but it's nice to meet you all the same." With a hoarse laugh, Samantha nodded in agreement.

"I would stay and chat longer, but I think I'm still recovering from the freezer. If you would excuse me, I think I need some sleep." Still smiling slightly, her gaze distant, Samantha nodded once again.

As David lay down and readied himself for sleep, he felt the eerie eyes of his companion watching him vigilantly. It seemed that despite their brief bonding he still wasn't trustworthy enough to not be suspected of treachery.

Another sleepless night loomed ominously over the exhausted human, frustrated at the obvious lack of understanding, David closed his eyes. He didn't think that Samantha understood she was keeping him awake, he just really didn't feel like trying to explain the problem to her. She may seem human, but she wasn't and neither was Amanda. For what seemed the thousandth time in the foul city, David felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness.

()

With a soft gasp, David sat up in his bed as if he was struck by lightning, something was wrong. Slowly regaining his bearings, he scanned the small room they had camped in for the night. The lights were dimmed, Amanda was sleeping peacefully in the only real bed in the room, and the fire had been extinguished some time during his brief slumber, only embers remained.

A thought that should have been obvious struck him, where was the older sibling, where was Samantha? As if in answer an unfamiliar sound echoed up from the street, music, the same music that he and Amanda had briefly danced to.

Still groggy, David ambled to the window and gazed into the street. Idly he realized that they had camped out in a store across from the trashed butcher's shop he had been chased into by the rouge Big Daddy.

Movement caught David's attention; Samantha was standing in a small area that had been cleared of ruble. On the ground several feet in front of her lay her helmet, broken visor facing her, against it rested the "voicebox" as Amanda had called it, the small device releasing elegant music into the otherwise silent night air.

Samantha's head was bobbing in time with the music, and when the refrain began once more she took action. Hands rising slowly over her head she moved with shocking grace, in perfect time with the music she began to pirouette. As the music increased speed, her movements increased in complexity, morphing from basic spinning to convoluted movements that David had trouble following in the dim lighting.

With a jolt, David realized that she was dancing some type of waltz, and from what he could tell she was doing it incredibly well. As she spun gracefully once again, her head tilted upward, David ducked down beneath the window. Happily he realized that her eyes had been closed and he had avoided detection.

Not willing to risk the penalty for spying on her during such an obviously private moment, David crawled back to his bedroll. Laying down he prepared himself to let sleep claim him again, stubbornly determined to ignore the tears he had seen streaming down the far too human face of the broken creature he found himself forced to rely on.


	14. A Change of Plan

It was strange, David decided, to be the only one awake. He had awoken only a few minutes ago and had been shocked to see Samantha asleep on the bed next to Amanda, hugging the small girl to her chest.

That answered the question of if Samantha slept at least. Though judging from the dark circles under her eyes, she didn't get enough sleep. She twitched slightly, pale face frowning as she pawed sleepily at her face, whimpering. With a slight shock David realized she was having a bad dream. What dream could possibly upset something like her?

He found himself pondering her age, it was hard to tell. Her face was unlined, as if it had spent much more time sealed inside her helmet then outside of it. She couldn't be more then a few years older then he was, at the most, but on the other hand she could be younger. Another thought occurred to him, did she even age like a normal human?

A sound echoed up from the hallway where their climactic battle with the Daddy had taken place; David identified it as metal falling to the ground. Crawling to the window he peeked out, pushing memories of last night's similar actions aside.

There were people in the hallway, at least twenty, probably Splicers. "God damn you fucking incompetent idiot! Don't drop your damn gun!" Scratch that, defiantly Splicers. Running as fast as he could while staying crouched, David ran to his sleeping ally.

When he got to his destination, David found himself in a conundrum. How was he supposed to wake the sleeping creature without igniting her explosive temper? A dull thunk echoed from the store beneath their feet, followed by muffled cursing. That was the last straw. Screw subtly, he needed help now!

Covering Samantha's mouth with his hand he shook her shoulder gently. _"Wake up! We need to get the hell out of here now!" _He whispered. Two glowing yellow eyes snapped open instantaneously. Samantha's eyes flicked down to his hand before flicking back up, yellow orbs meeting blue. He could feel her body vibrate as she narrowed her eyes and began to growl menacingly.

"_No! Quiet, we're not alone!"_ Impossibly, her eyes narrowed further_, "I'm serious!" _An echoing crash from downstairs ended her brief hostility. Instantly she was all business, leaping silently off of the bed, she quickly glanced around the small room. Releasing a soft irritated huff, she pointed angrily towards David's pack and the weapons within.

David, who had already been heading towards his pack, shot her a half hearted glare and whispered heatedly, _"I'm sorry, but I thought that waking you up was a bit higher priority."_ Samantha sent him a brief incredulous look, unable to understand why he wanted to argue now of all times.

Abruptly, Samantha stiffened and pointed urgently towards the door. David, shotgun in hand, crouched behind the decayed remnants of what might have been a sofa and leveled his gun at the door.

Humming softly to gain his attention, Samantha held up three fingers. By now David could hear movement as several Splicers came to a stop on the other side of the door.

Samantha held up two fingers. There was the distinct sound of someone attempting to pick the door's lock.

Samantha held up one finger. A click signaled the door unlocking.

Samantha clenched her hand in a fist and, before the unlocked door could be opened, acted. By now familiar shriek piercing the previously silent air, she thrust a fist forward. According to all the laws that normally governed the universe, Samantha's hand, which had stopped a foot from the door, should have done absolutely nothing. The door had other ideas apparently and with the sound of shrieking metal it exploded out of its frame and shot down the hallway with the force of a bullet, taking three Splicers with it.

Before the door had slammed into the far end of the hall, Samantha was already on the move. Bursting through the doorway, she spun gracefully and kicked another Splicer in the jaw. As the Splicer sunk to the ground, neck bent at an awkward angle, David ran through the broken doorway, shotgun at the ready.

Any further acts of violence against the unfortunate Splicers was ended by an unexpected voice, "Hold Guardian, we are from the Family, we seek to aid you." David and Samantha froze simultaneously, not expecting any attempts at communication from the normally violent monsters. Samantha, who held two Splicers several feet off the ground by their throats, sent David a quizzical glance.

"Ummm…you don't want to fight?"

"We are loyal to the Family, outsider scum. We would never harm the Guardian or the Vassal of Ascension." Loathing didn't even come close to describing the expression on the Splicer's face as it glared at David.

Contemptuously turning from David, the unfamiliar Splicer continued. "We were sent by the Voice of the Family to help you in your quest, Guardian. He knows that you seek to leave Olympus Heights and wished us to inform you that the Bathysphere station was recently destroyed. You will not be able to leave that way."

If David knew one thing, he knew that the rumbling growl emanating from Samantha did not bode well for this bearer of bad news.

()

Frustration and Theta were rapidly becoming well acquainted with each other. Why couldn't one thing, just one, go right on this stupidly frustrating mission! Dropping the now unconscious monsters she had been holding, she stormed towards the talkative one.

It was…ugly, though not in the way she normally associated with monsters. Its face was pinched and its nose jutted abruptly forth. It vaguely reminded Theta of a rat or some other unpleasant type of rodent. Theta really, really wanted to pull its pointed nose from its face; she wondered if it would still look like a rat without a nose.

Apparently sensing her murderous intent, the rat faced monster continued, "We have another bathysphere and are willing to give you access to it." That was unexpected, the monsters that were part of the Family had never attempted to help her before, and at best they just stayed as far away from her as possible. What made this group different?

Apparently David shared her skepticism as well, "How do we know that you aren't leading us into an ambush?"

"Silence filth, your kind is not welcome here! Outsiders can not-" Theta's warning growl interrupted the monsters tirade before it could truly begin. Gesturing to David, Theta instructed the monster to answer the question.

Beady eyes glaring hatefully at David, the monster bowed and attempted once again to assure Theta of his truthfulness. "We are a loyal part of the Family. We would never harm the Guardian or the Vassal, on that you have my word."

"Yes, that's nice and all, but how do we know your word is any good?" Before Ratface could verbally assault David again, Theta grabbed him by the arm and steered him into their room.

Obviously understanding why she pulled him aside, David voiced his thoughts. "We have no way of knowing if he's telling the truth or not. I say we go with them," Hand shooting up to stop her outraged growl, David continued. "But, I think we should head to the Bathysphere station first. If it isn't wrecked we can kill them and leave, if it is we can see what they have to offer."

Grudgingly, Theta had to admit that David's plan had some merit. She didn't trust Ratface or the other monsters for that matter, but they did need help if what it claimed is true. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as Ratface sidled into their room without invitation. "Have you come to a decision, Guardian?"

"We have, we'll go with you, but we're going to the Bathysphere hub first," David responded, arms crossed smugly. "If we find out you lied to us…_well _I'll let Samantha show you if we come to that. I assure you though, only one of you is going to enjoy it, and it won't be you."

Obviously barely restraining the urge to yell at David once again, Ratface responded, "Very well, that is what we will do, as long as this is your desire Guardian?" With far more authority then she felt, Theta nodded. "We will wait outside then. Gather your supplies and awaken your charge Guardian, we depart shortly."

()

Why was it, that whenever David thought that he was finally getting used to this warped little world, everything banked hard to port? Instead of sneaking through Rapture like criminals, their little group was walking down the streets like they owned the place. Instead of killing all Splicers they stumbled upon, they were being escorted by a couple dozen of the twisted creatures.

Samantha caught his attention with a slight growl and nodded to him, they were close to the Bathysphere station. Casually, David readied his shotgun as Samantha tensed next to him, if the station wasn't destroyed they would only have seconds before the Splicers attacked.

Their preparations were not needed as it turned out, as they turned the corner to the Bathysphere station there was no doubt that it was ruined and beyond any hope of salvaging. They stood before a large room where David could imagine people waiting for Bathyspheres to shuttle them from one section of Rapture to another. Across the room was a heavy metal door, no doubt some kind of airlock. Flanking the airlock on both sides were impressive glass walls, showing Rapture in all its decayed glory and the collapsed building sitting like a desiccated corpse on the ocean floor right outside. The realization that the metal airlock was all that was keeping the ocean from killing them all was disconcerting, to say the least.

From her perch atop her sister's shoulders, Amanda demonstrated her incredible ability to state the obvious, "Sissy, I think that place is broken."

"The Vassal speaks the truth, Guardian. After all, we would not lie to you." The Splicer's leader, Beans or something along those lines, stepped into their line of sight, obviously smug about proving David wrong. "Will you come with us now?" The fact that Samantha looked to David for his opinion obviously irritated the unpleasant entity. Feeling guilty for having no better plan, David shrugged and nodded to Samantha, who in turn nodded to Beans.

"Very good Guardian, I knew you would see sense." Hateful black eyes falling on David, it paused before smiling at Samantha, revealing crooked black teeth. "Guardian, while I am sure that you had a good reason for allowing this _outsider_ to accompany you, you don't have any need for him now. We would be honored to _deal_ with him if you don't want to."

To David's horror, Samantha was looking between the two of them deep in thought, seemingly weighing the pros and cons of his continued existence. At this point he truly didn't know why he was surprised, after all no matter how she acted she wasn't human, not really.

()

Ratface's offer had some merit; it would get rid of David and his irritating ability to…irritate her. Her sister was staring into space, looking for swimming angels apparently if her mutterings were accurate, and wasn't paying attention to the conversation. This was Theta's first real chance to get rid of the frustrating human without upsetting her sister unduly, and if she was smart she'd take it.

On the other hand, David had protected her sister when she couldn't and had proven trustworthy so far. He wasn't that bad at fighting, not that he was anything compared to her, he seemed more lucky then anything else.

Looking at his face, Theta felt an unwelcome pang of guilt. He had paled considerably, his shotgun clenched in sweaty, trembling hands. He was terrified, eyes darting back and forth, looking for any chance of escape. Why was she feeling guilty? He wasn't part of her family! She owed him nothing!

Theta felt like there were two people inside of her head yelling at her. One was bloodthirsty, monstrous, and very familiar. The other was much quieter and sounded tired, as if it had just woken up from a long nap.

He saved your sister when you couldn't.

He cracked the visor of your helmet!

He showed concern for you when others wouldn't have.

He punched you in the face!

He sparked your curiosity of the surface.

He sent his monster allies after you!

He helped you fight the Bad Daddy.

He made fun of you!

He apologized for making you feel bad.

He tried to feed you rotten meat!

He then choked on it.

He mocked you in front of your sister!

He woke you up from the first peaceful sleep you've enjoyed in months!

He undermined your authority!

He stole your sister from you!

He broke your helmet!

He's had to be saved once already! How many more times are you going to need to?

He asked you your name. When was the last time anyone has done that? When was the last time anyone showed any interest in _you_? Internally, Theta sighed in frustration. Why couldn't this be an easy decision? Why did David have to act so…human?

The sound of a gun making the clickyclak noise that always preceded boompain jolted Theta from her internal dialogue. A monster had his littlegun pointed at the back of David's head. She hadn't made her decision yet! What was it doing?

A slight flick of her wrist was all it took, the monster was sent soaring through the air. In mid flight it looked almost majestic, despite its terrified scream; its landing ended that illusion quite effectively.

Rodent like face showing only slight surprise, Ratface nodded, "Very well Guardian, I suppose he must be good for something." Turning from her, it motioned with one hand and they set off towards their mysterious destination, leaving a badly injured monster for the scavengers of Rapture.

()

"Thank you, Samantha." Oh please go away; she really didn't need this right now. They had been walking in silence for several hours; Theta had thought that David didn't want to talk about what had happened. Unfortunately, it appeared he had only been working up the courage.

"I know it would have been easier just to let them kill me, but you didn't. So…thanks." She just had to ignore him. If she ignored him he'd go away.

Theta found herself looking back, almost fondly, on the times when all David had done was make her frustrated and irritable. Guilt, she found, was a far more oppressive emotion. "You are a little bit evil though, letting me sweat while you "decided my fate". I guess I kind of deserved it though, after embarrassing you with the Pep Bars yesterday."

Despite her earlier attempts to ignore him, Theta found herself staring him in the eyes as he smiled broadly at her, "Anyways I think we're even now, unless you have an even meaner mean streak then I thought, Samantha."

With a pat on the shoulder and a happy nod, the naive human turned from her and continued their march into the unknown, smiling broadly and with a skip in his step, blissfully ignorant of how close to death he had actually come.

()

"I spy with my little eye…something silver!"

"Hmm…that's a tough one. Is it the walls?"

"No!"

"Is it the floor?"

"Nope!"

"Is it the ceiling?"

"It's not that either!"

"Well in that case, I think I've been beaten. What is it?"

"That!" For the eighteenth time in a row, Amanda had chosen something silver, and for the eighteenth time in a row, she pointed at some obscure part of the wall when asked what it was. Still in a good mood, David made a point to look on the bright side; at least she had moved on from the color blue and obscure parts of the ocean.

"Okay, my turn. I spy with my little eye something…brooding."

Laughing at David's obvious lack of knowledge for the rules of I Spy, Amanda corrected him, "No you have to choose a color, silly! If you want to spy Sissy, say I spy with my little eye something yellow!" Bending over her Sister's shoulders, on which she perched, Amanda poked Samantha in the eye. "See? Her eyes are yellow!"

As both David and Amanda ignored the outraged squawk from Samantha, David attempted once again. "Okay, okay fine. I spy with my little eye something yellow…and brooding."

"No, that's not how you play! You're really bad at this Mr. Ordinary!"

"You're no fun Amanda, but I'll play by the rules if you insist. I spy with my little eye something…red."

An irritated voice abruptly ended their game. "Let me guess _outsider_ is it your blood?"

As Amanda whimpered, Samantha stormed towards the Splicer's charming leader, furious that he had scared her sister. Fortunately for the Splicer, David recovered from his surprise and intervened, "Okay that's just not right. You can't say you see something that you can't; any two year old knows that. My blood is inside my body, and it plans on staying that way. Honestly Brian, you'd think that you never played I Spy before."

"Brian? Brian! My name is Banes you incompetent idiot! Banes! It's not that hard to remember!"

"Right I'm sorry, I'll work on that Brains."

"Banes! It's Banes!"

"You should probably calm down, Beans. I think you're making Samantha angry." As Beans stormed away arms flailing in impotent rage, Samantha laughed. Shocked silence followed the unexpected noise. Judging from the fact that Samantha's eyes were the size of dinner plates she was as surprised by her outburst as the others.

David's soft chuckle brought Samantha's attention to the grinning human. Her softly glowing eyes found his briefly, but as he smiled at her she abruptly turned away, staring pointedly at the floor. She'd been acting like this for awhile now; ever since she'd saved him to be precise. Was she embarrassed about it?

Motivated by concern for his inhuman companion, David attempted to find out what was wrong. "Samantha, are you okay?" Shocked yellow eyes locked onto David's once again, before, with a frustrated shriek, Samantha stormed to the front of their group refusing to even look in his direction.

That settled it, she was definitely embarrassed.

()

"We're going to stop here for the night." That was rather presumptuous of Ratface; her warning growl corrected that quickly enough. "A-as long as that is all right with you Guardian." Smiling at the monster's obvious discomfort, Theta bowed mockingly and gestured for him to continue.

"So I take it you don't like Billy either." Theta barely restrained the urge to groan. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? Why did she feel like a monster every time she looked at him and he smiled back? It wasn't her fault he was too foolish to realize that she had almost had him killed!

Lifting her sister from her basket, Theta set her on the ground, pointedly ignoring the naive human. "Look, did I do something wrong? If so I'm sorry. Whatever it was, I didn't mean anything by it." Why did she suddenly feel like her throat was being squeezed? Why wouldn't he just go away?

Concern flashed across David's features, "Are you okay? What's wrong? Can I help?" She was whimpering, she belatedly realized, that was what triggered his concern. Why did her helmet have to be broken? Why couldn't she hide behind the expressionless mask like she used too? Why did this human have to be so good at reading her emotions?

"You're crying." Please, please stop.

"Are you okay?" Just go away.

"Are you hurt?" Please, just leave me alone, please.

"It's okay, you don't need to cry." Stop it! Stop it please!

A comforting hand landed on her shoulder, "Do you wan-" _ENOUGH! With a furious cry Theta shoved the human away from her, hard, too hard as it turned out. He slammed into the wall with bone crushing force before slumping lifeless to the ground; head tilted at an awkward angle giving his vacant face a slightly surprised look. _

_Her sister's horrified screams and the monster's amused laughs echoed in the confined space. It was loud, far, far too loud. They needed to stop! They needed to be quite! Why weren't they being quite?_

_Amused laughter morphed into screams of terror and agony, the increase in volume only increased the brutality with which she forced their silence. _

_Why were her arms all red and wet? Why was everything so quite? Everything was too quiet. Theta was surrounded by the bodies of the mutilated monsters. Ratface lay unmoving on the ground nearby, it turned out he still looked like a rodent, even without his jutting nose. _

_Hadn't her sister been screaming about something? Why wasn't she screaming anymore? The small body lying in a pool of blood answered that question. Her sister's tear stained face stared vacantly at the ceiling, the gapping hole in her abdomen showed her cause of death. Someone had torn her leech from her body._

_Had the monsters attacked the Little Sister? Had Theta killed them in retaliation? _

_Movement in her hand distracted her from her desperate questioning. Eyes widening in horror, she stared in shock at the dieing leech wriggling weakly in her blood drenched hand. NO!_

()

"Are you going to go to bed at any point in the foreseeable future? You've been standing there for the last fifteen minutes, staring into space." David was standing in front of her watching her inquisitively. He wasn't dead? She hadn't broken his fragile body against the metal wall?

"_Right_, if you're just going to stand there and stare at me awkwardly I'm going to bed." She hadn't hurt anybody? It hadn't been real? Her eyes took everything in in a single sweep. The monsters were all asleep or at least preparing to, and David and Amanda were lying next to each other on one of their cots, ready to let sleep claim them.

During Theta's brief trip from reality, her city had gone to sleep.

Allowing herself to feel the relief she had been holding back, Theta lay down next to her impromptu family. Family, she had called them her family. Her title for them surprised her; she hadn't truly considered anyone part of her family since Daddy left. Her sister had always been a part of her family, but now it was something else. Amanda, that was her name right? Theta resolved herself to treat her sister better; she wasn't just one of the many faceless Sisters she watched over anymore.

David on the other hand, David was a much more confounding mystery. When had she begun to consider him a part of her family? When had she actually begun to care whether he lived or died? Why did she care about him when she was uninterested in all other beings outside of her warped Family?

Theta's thoughts were interrupted by the object of her musings, "Goodnight Amanda."

"Goodnight Mr. Ordinary."

"Goodnight Samantha." Theta responded with a soft hum.

"Goodnight assorted thugs and cronies" A chorus of grunts and muffled curses sounded in response.

Theta let sleep begin to envelope her in its comforting embrace, relishing the brief peace she had found with these two strange individuals, and would cherish for as long as she could.

Abruptly her peace was shattered, "Goodnight Barney."

"Fuck off dipshit!" Despite herself, Theta laughed. She was glad that David wasn't dead; when he wasn't harassing her he was actually kind of funny.


	15. Decent into the Unknown

Pain jolted through David's side as a heavy boot slammed into his ribs. With a slight yelp, his body tumbled off of the cot he had been sleeping on before landing on the ground in a heap. "Wake up you fucking idiot!"

Blearily, David opened his eyes and sent a halfhearted glare towards the unpleasant Splicer standing above him. "That was very much unnecessary Benjamin; I'm not a heavy sleeper."

Fed up with the human's disrespect, the Splicer landed on top of him, pulling a knife seemingly from midair. "Listen you insignificant little shit, my name is Banes. Banes! If I have to tell you one more time-" A tired growl stopped the Splicer's furious tirade. Samantha was watching the two of them with one glowing eye, tiredly glaring at the Splicer.

"Don't worry Samantha, BillyBob wasn't threatening me. He was just showing me his lovely knife and saying that he'd politely correct me the next time I get his name wrong. After all Bernie is kind of a hard name to remember. Isn't that right Benny?"

Standing stiffly, the angry Splicer nodded, "I just wanted to show the outsider my knife. See the serrated edge? It tears at the meat as I pull it out, causing even more agonizing pain. I thought he should know, just so he can know what he has to look forward to. Once he's alone I'll-" Another more insistent growl echoed around the room, interrupting the Splicer once again.

Samantha had both eyes open now and was sending a murderous glare towards the unwelcome entity. "Fine Guardian, I will leave you alone. You should rouse yourself and eat, we are leaving shortly." With that, and a final hateful glare towards David, the Splicer left.

"That was a lovely way to start my day! I think that bastard might have broken my ribs!" Groaning in frustration, Samantha gave up her clearly futile attempts at sleep and sat up. After skeptically examining David's ribs she came to a decision. Showcasing her unnatural speed, her hand shot out and poked David in the side before he could react.

"Ow! What the hell?" Samantha just chuckled at him and raised an eyebrow.

Flushing slightly in embarrassment, David looked at his injured side. "They're not broken are they?" Still laughing Samantha shook her head. "Hey, don't laugh! You try getting kicked in the ribs and see how you feel."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, instantly Samantha's yellow eyes narrowed into an acidic glare. Moments like this reminded David that even though she sometimes acted it, Samantha wasn't human.

"Don't be mad! I was joking, didn't mean to bring up any unpleasant memories." Silently, she readjusted herself so she was kneeling in front of the nervous human, eerie yellow eyes still glaring directly into his blue ones.

Slowly she raised one hand until it hovered ominously before the human's face. Eyes darting nervously between her glaring eyes and hovering hand David attempted to calm her one last time, "L-look I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. What ever I did it was-"

THWACK!

His stuttered apology ended in a surprised yelp. She flicked him? After all that intimidating bullshit she flicked him? "W-what?"

Samantha's unmoving glare faltered slightly as her lips twitched, barely succeeding in containing her smile. "Seriously? You scare the shit out of me with that I'm going to kill you glare and then you flick me?" By the end of his tirade David's voice had risen several octaves, which in the end was the final straw for Samantha.

A snort escaped Samantha's lips as she stared at David's righteously indignant face, unable to contain herself any longer she laughed. Slowly, a smile spread across David's face as he began to laugh as well.

()

Theta could not remember the last time she had allowed herself to laugh, to not think about potential threats or contingency plans, to just allow herself to relax.

David's laughter began soon after her own, that was good; she didn't want him to take offense to her amusement. His face had been amazing after she had flicked him, shock, relief, confusion, indignation, amusement, and slight pain all mixed together creating a truly unique facial expression.

There were tears streaming down her cheeks and she was having trouble breathing. Her eyes were screwed shut so she couldn't be sure, but judging from the gasping coming from David he was similarly afflicted.

After what seemed an eternity she regained control of her breathing patterns and opened her damp eyes. David was sitting before her, still struggling to breathe, he managed to open his eyes and looked at her briefly before grinning.

Unfortunately for David his opened eyes caught Theta's attention, or more specifically brought her attention to the small red welt forming between his eyes. Unable to stop herself, Theta broke into another fit of giggles.

Brushing his hand across his forehead, David located the reason for her newest bought of laughter. "Oh yes, that's _so_ funny." Still laughing, Theta just pointed between his eyes while trying to wipe away her tears. Unfortunately, Theta was so caught up in her own amusement that she was unprepared for David's retaliatory attack.

THWACK!

Instantly, her eyes snapped open to stare incredulously at the smirking human standing above her. Rubbing the slightly sore spot between her eyes, she sent him an indignant glare as he took a stupidly heroic pose. "Let it be known that on this day the great and powerful David was victorious! Years from now all who witnessed his incredible event will tell their children of it with pride! This day will go down in legends as the beginning of-"

THWACK!

Shocked blue eyes met amused yellow ones. "B-but I'd already declared victory. That's cheating! The war was over!"

Theta's only response was a smirk. Turning around she moved to pick her sleeping sister up off of the ground, leaving a bemused human to rub the welt that was rapidly forming on the tip of his nose.

()

David grimaced towards the Pep Bar clenched in his hand. Before coming here if anyone told him that he'd get sick of something with chocolate in it he'd have called them a liar, now he found himself struggling not to hate the inanimate object.

"Hey Barnum, do you have any food I can trade you for? If I eat another damn Pep Bar I think I might die from chocolate overdose!"

"You actually think that I'd give you my food Rudolph?"

"Oh I get it; you're making fun of my horribly abused nose! That's really clever Benji!" In the background Samantha snorted in amusement but was ignored.

"And to answer your earlier question, no I didn't expect you to give me your food; I sure as hell wouldn't give you mine! Personally I'm holding out hope that you're a better person then me."

As David ranted towards the irritated Splicer, Samantha plucked his Pep Bar from his idle hand, earning herself a halfhearted glare in the process. "Truthfully though I think you might be a better person then me, after all you've got a face only a mother could love. Maybe you're amazingly nice to make up for it and just hide it beneath a gruff exterior. It'd be like God's way of compensating!"

"Well here's an idea outsider scum. You should think twice before asking me for food, I might just put something you wouldn't want inside of it."

Faking a disappointed sigh, David turned to Samantha, hand extended, "I'm going to need my Pep Bar back." He received a torn wrapper and a cheeky smile, "Oh come on, that can't be physically possible! How did you eat that so quickly?"

Attempting, and failing, to look innocently concerned, Theta pointed inside the wrapper. "Oh boy! You left me three crumbs! You're _so_ generous! What can I ever do to repay you?" David's flippant remark earned him a wrapper to the face and an amused snort.

()

To her surprise, Theta found herself enjoying David's company. He was entertaining; his cheeky remarks were a source of near constant entertainment for her. His refusal to call Ratface by his actual name was particularly amusing, almost as amusing as the anticipation for Ratface's no doubt inevitable mental breakdown.

David had stopped talking for now. He was surveying the tunnel they were traveling through intently, seemingly awed by the city on prominent display through the tunnel's glass walls and ceiling. Privately Theta had to admit it; Rapture did look incredible from their location. From the top of the underwater mountain ridge on which Olympus Heights perched you were unable to see the crumbling structures and floating debris.

From this distance her city looked alive for the first time in years. It truly was breathtaking, breathtaking but unreal; it was all an illusion, a trick of the eye, nothing more. Her city was dead, dead and rotting, festering deep beneath the sea. Despite all her power, it was like trying to hold water in your hands, it just slipped between your fingers. No matter what she did she couldn't stop it, the best she could do was slow her city's inevitable decay.

The lights of Rapture, though badly in need of repair, still outlined the geometric patterns used in the construction of the once beautiful city. The many neon signs that, long ago, had advertised for the various businesses of Rapture flickered erratically, Big Bertha's Bistro in particular flashed intermittently at a seizure inducing rate.

The vibrant spotlights of Fort Frolic panned back and forth in the deep, illuminating the murky water and startling the occaisonal school of fish. Theta had been there once, after Daddy had left, its beautiful architecture and vibrant colors belied its deadly nature, and that of the particularly deranged monster that lurked within its walls to this very day.

From this distance the decay and damage was hardly noticeable the city looked vibrant and whole once again, a surge of bubbles from one of the many geometric towers ended that illusion, a section of her city had just flooded.

"Are you okay?" Why did he have to be so observant? It really wasn't fair! Warily watching David from the corner of her eye, Theta attempted to ascertain the reasoning behind his question. To her surprise she was unable to detect anything other then slight concern and curiosity in his steel blue eyes. His concern actually seemed genuine; maybe befriending the human wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Having reached her decision, Theta gestured out the window towards Rapture with a sad sigh. "Yeah, it must have been beautiful here, before," David gestured absently with a hand trying to find the right word. "…this." Had Rapture ever been beautiful? Truthfully Theta didn't know. Her memories of a time when it might have been were clouded by the foul indoctrination that still gripped her younger siblings.

"Are you human?" Seeing her confused look, David elaborated. "I mean were you born like you are, or were you changed?" Mentally shoving away the horrific memories David's question brought to light, Theta held up two fingers, before pointing towards her charge, sleeping soundly in her basket.

"You were human and you used to be like her?" Theta nodded towards David, smiling at the thought of a simpler time.

"Have you always lived here?" Theta, who had briefly lost herself staring out the window, turned her gaze to David, who had fallen into step beside her. Had she? As far back as she could remember she had, but where had she lived before? Had she had a family, or friends? Were there people that had missed her when she was gone? Realizing that David was still waiting for an answer she shrugged, after all she didn't know one way or the other.

"You don't remember?" She nodded; while she wasn't really in the mood to talk at least it passed the time.

"Do you know how old you are?" She shook her head. Why did it matter anyways, age was just a number.

"That must be disconcerting, to know so little about yourself. I don't know how I would handle something like that." Was it disconcerting? Again Theta couldn't be sure, she couldn't remember a time when she knew much about herself, she had nothing to compare it to. Now smiling slightly, she shrugged at David once again, earning herself a rueful smirk in response.

"You know its times like this that I really wish you could talk." Theta felt her smile turn slightly forlorn, so did she, so did she.

()

"Through here." The passage that was being indicated by the Splicer's always charming leader was barely noticeable, even with him pointing directly towards it. It blended near seamlessly into the wall it was built into. It appeared to be some kind of maintenance hallway; apparently the Olympus Heights elite hadn't wanted to see unsightly maintenance entrances in their tower.

"Great so this is where you sneak us into some grotto and then kill us right?" Needless to say, David was unimpressed. Samantha's low growl led him to believe that she was about as happy with this newest development as he was.

"I assure you Guardian; we are not your enemies. If we wanted to harm you, could we not have done it in your sleep? You just have to trust us. It's not much further now, you'll see." Samantha shot David an exasperated look before heading through the entrance with a sigh; it wasn't like they had many other options.

Following Samantha through the dark tunnels of Rapture's maintenance area was unpleasant to say the least. Either the architects of Rapture had planned on lighting the maintenance area a murky red, or the emergency lights were active, either way the place was dismal.

"Come, come it's not much further. The entrance is close at hand."

"That's lovely Baabar, is there food there? I'm hungry." David was missing his Pep Bar very much right now.

"Christ you pathetic little shit! Quit your whining! There's food where we're going."

Happily for David, someone noticed the rumbling emanating from his stomach. A light tap on his shoulder brought his attention to his mute companion. Samantha was smiling apologetically holding a bag of potato chips towards him.

"You're going to just give those to me? No evil tricks or food stealing?" Samantha just nodded in response, still smiling towards him, seemingly unfazed by David's skeptical attitude.

Still unsure, David grabbed the bag and opened it, after a careful examination of its contents he took a careful bite from the small salty snack held in his hand. Samantha's smile spread further across her pale face as she saw his action. Eyes alight with curiosity she gestured towards the treat, obviously wondering if David approved.

"These are good, where'd you get them?" Pale face showing slight surprise, Samantha pointed towards one of their escorts, a towering creature by the name of Dom if David remembered correctly.

"Shit! You took it from him? Do you want him to kill me?" Seemingly shocked Samantha shook her head, and mimed sneaking. "Oh yes, I'll sneak eat the crunchy potato chips, that'll end well for me!"

"Oy Banes, where're my damn chips? I'm hungry damn it! If any of you took them I'm going to break every damn bone in your damn body!" Great, David was going to die a slow painful death. Not bothering to hide her contempt for the hungry brute, Samantha snatched the chips out of David's hand and brandished them under his nose.

Warty features showing surprise and growing unease, Dom backtracked quickly. "Oh, you took them Guardian? You can have them, no problem from me. In fact, I want you to have them, my treat!"

With an arrogant smirk, Samantha handed the bag of chips to David. "What? He took them?" A confrontational glare from the intimidating female ended the large Splicer's brief anger. "Right that's fine, he can have them."

"Ummm, thanks…I think." Samantha's smile was back in an instant, with a happy nod she fell into step beside him.

"So we're going to the Family?" Samantha nodded, surveying the red tinged hallway with interest.

"And they can help me get home?" Glowing eyes met David's briefly, before with a slight sigh she nodded.

"That's good; I don't think-"

"We've arrived." David stopped short, surprised eyes falling on their rodentesque guide, and the small elevator he stood beside.

()

That wasn't right. Theta knew her city, she knew Rapture. They were on the ground floor of Olympus Heights; there was nothing below them, only the supports of the tower. What was Ratface trying to do? Did it actually think it could trick her?

Apparently sensing her confusion and growing hostility, Ratface held his hands up defensively. "The place you are going to see is a secret, it has kept the family safe for the years after the war. You will tell no one of its existence." Theta was too surprised by the monster's sudden backbone to object; as David, Amanda and she were corralled into the elevator.

With a jerk and the sound of rusted gears turning, the elevator began its trip downward, into the long forgotten depths of the dead city, Ryan's dead city, Theta's dead city.

"Well…this is ominous." Within the silent depths of her mind, Theta agreed with David's deadpan statement. She knew her city inside and out. Her lack of knowledge of the vault had been surprising. This, this was unprecedented.

Suddenly, Theta found herself diving into the unknown.

Theta didn't like the unknown.


	16. Welcome to Haven

The cramped interior of the dark elevator did nothing to ease the growing tension Theta and her human companion felt as they descended into the unknown. They were far too deep, Theta could tell. They were already well below the vault in which David and his allies had hidden. There should be nothing this deep, only the supports of Olympus Heights.

"The only thing missing here is that awkward elevator music." Did David have some sort of pathological need to comment on things at inappropriate times? It was really beginning to seem that way.

Theta had been staring at David, trying to form a response to his inane question, when she heard it. Past the sound of rusted gears still working long after they should have broken down, past the groaning of the metal wire that kept their elevator from plummeting down the shaft, past the irregular heartbeats of the Splicers and David's rhythmic one, Theta heard the sounds of everyday life going on.

People laughing, yelling, talking, even a few singing, the sound of heavy machinery, the ambient noise of a large generator, the humming of several freezers. Here, deep beneath Rapture's decaying husk, someone had made a home for themselves.

"Sissy, do you hear that? It's people!" Theta nodded distractedly towards her sister, unable to formulate a proper response with her attention diverted.

A distant shriek from the tortured gears and a sudden jolt signaled their arrival at the bottom. With a protesting groan the elevator doors opened slowly, pulled apart by two mammoth monsters, each around the size of the behemoth that had briefly allied itself with David.

"Follow me Guardian; I will lead you to the Bishop. He is the leader of Haven and will inform you of the situation." With an impatient gesture, Ratface walked out of the elevator, seemingly indifferent to the fact that this settlement shouldn't exist.

As she followed the monster, Theta's sensitive eyes were blinded briefly by the intense light that flooded the entire area. As they blearily cleared, she felt her breath leave her body in a gasp, a gasp echoed by her human companion. She had been wrong, this wasn't a settlement; it was a town.

Down the tunnel they had arrived in, ramshackle buildings stretched as far as Theta's sharp eyes could see. Though they appeared to have been thrown together using whatever was on hand, they all followed the same general design. They were tall and thin, using space as efficiently as possible. All had small porches with several makeshift chairs in the front; most of which were occupied, giving Theta an unobstructed view of the dozens of monsters that lived in the town.

"How many live here?" David's voice held no sarcasm or mocking connotations, he truly was in awe of the town the monsters had created for themselves.

"Hundreds, I don't know the exact number." Ratface's voice carried an irritating amount of pride; if Theta hadn't already been staring in shock she might have taken it upon herself to end that smug tone.

"This, this place is incredible! How long did it take to build?"

"Haven? Years, the workers who built Rapture were not paid well, their money didn't last long. When they ran out of money many moved here and built homes for themselves, from what I understand that type of story was not uncommon in Ryan's _utopia_." The contempt that Ratface held for Rapture's ex-leader was glaringly apparent.

"This place is beneath the city?"

"No, Haven is built into the cliff face on which Olympus Heights nest; it is on about the same level as the rest of Rapture. Some of the men who built it were the underlings for Rapture's head architects, they were well trained enough to design this but not enough to receive a fair payment for their services. They built Haven around the supports of Olympus Heights and settled here with their families."

Theta felt herself torn, on the one hand she wanted to listen and learn how this place could exist, but on the other she wanted to watch the small crowd of monsters that was following their path deeper into the town.

David was unable to continue his questions as they neared a doorway comprised entirely of scrap metal. Unlikely group walking through the makeshift doorway, Theta felt herself gasp once again. They were in a cave, no that wasn't grand enough, they were in a cavern. Huge didn't even come close to describing it. She had been wrong again, this wasn't a town; it was a small city.

"Wow, this place is big! Do you see Mr. Ordinary? Look how big it is!"

"Yeah…yeah Amanda, I see it." Unseen by her two friends, Amanda pouted slightly, put out by the fact that they weren't paying attention to her.

The cavern was packed with building of various shapes and sizes, some were obviously houses, others were stores, and some even appeared to be restaurants and other obviously frivolous buildings. In the distance, against the far wall of the cavern, lay some sort of temple. It towered over every other building in the city, easily over one hundred feet in height. It was composed entirely of the same rock that made up the cavern, with a shock Theta realized that it must have been carved directly from the stone.

"Wow, nice church." David's ability to state the obvious was truly impressive.

"That is the Temple of Ascension, outsider, and I expect you to refer to it as such!"

The crowd that was following them had grown, there were now dozens of monsters watching them intently following their progress towards the large temple in the distance. In general the monsters seemed more curious then anything else, though some sent David hateful glares. They were muttering to each other, but due to the ambient noise Theta was unable to make out the words.

A voice rose above the rising din emanating from the increasingly agitated monsters. "Banes, you found the Guardian?" A monster dressed entirely in white, pushed itself through the growing crowd. "And an outsider, I see. How will the Bishop react to that? Did you even think before you brought him along?"

An irritated sigh passed between Ratface's thin lips, "Believe me Thompson; if I had a choice in the matter the outsider would be long dead." Theta growled softly, reminding Ratface of her opinion of its attitude towards David.

"Ah…the Guardian wanted to bring him along, she actually protected him? That's a first." As the monster-in-white's gaze fell on Theta, she felt that without a doubt it was sizing her up, determining how big of a threat she could be.

Theta felt a chill go down her spine as the crowd of monsters simultaneously went completely silent. The only noise was the sound of some type of motorized cart rolling to a stop, once it halted a tall monster in a black trench coat stepped out. As its shockingly blue eyes fell on her, Theta knew without a doubt that this was the leader. This was the Bishop.

The imposing monster's voice spilt the silence with the kind of authority that Theta had believed only Mother had. "Be calm my Family, These are our honored guests." As the monster's incredibly blue eyes locked onto hers Theta wanted nothing more then to disappear, anything to put some distance between herself and this new breed of monster.

()

The Bishop was imposing to say the least. He was tall, very tall, standing head and shoulders over David, who was by no means short. Overall he was shockingly normal looking; there were no noticeable growths or boils, unlike most Splicers. His skin looked normal, if a little on the pale side. His face was the slightest bit off, his speech never seemed to quite match the movement of his mouth, and his features were too smooth, as if they had been stretched ever so slightly. By far his most unnatural feature were his eyes, twin vibrant blue orbs glowing with an icy fire, they would have been intimidating had they not softened as the Bishop smiled at the newly arrived group.

"DuCrane, Stanton, take our guest's items to their lodgings." Instantly two Splicers shuffled from the masses and wordlessly began to collect their belongings. Samantha stopped the smaller of the two as he tried to take her damaged helmet with a vicious growl.

"Your helmet was damaged Guardian?" The Bishop's voice was pitched perfectly, showing concern for Samantha's helmet and an eagerness to help in any way he could, tempered with just the right amount of aloofness. He played the part of eager to please and caring leader remarkably well.

"Do not worry yourself Guardian; Presley here is quite adept at repairs. If you hand it to him he will have it back to you as good as new by tomorrow morning at the latest." The moment he was mentioned a soot covered Splicer stepped from the masses, hands outstretched, calmly waiting for Samantha to hand the helmet over.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it ma'am. I'll have your helmet right as rain by tomorrow, just like the Bishop said." The Splicer seemed to have sensed Samantha's hesitance and attempted to reassure her, gravely voice barely understandable. To David's surprise Samantha handed the broken item over with only a moment's hesitation.

"Excellent!" Voice carrying the perfect amount of Fatherly pride, the Bishop smiled at his guests.

"Sissy, look at his eyes! Do you see his eyes? They're so blue! Why are they so blue?"

Smiling softly at the inquisitive child, the Bishop turned his electric blue eyes to Amanda. "I've always had eyes like this little one. They're not so different from your own." Amanda's only response was to bury her face in Samantha's shoulder, face flushed with embarrassment at the unwanted attention.

The instant Amanda turned from him, the Bishop was all business once again. Tone conveying just the right amount of welcome tempered with the steel of authority, he ended the conversation. "Guardian, if you and your human friend would please follow Andrea to your quarters I would appreciate it, we have a banquet to prepare."

()

This she-monster giggled far too much and smelled almost overpoweringly of some foul citrus scented perfume, though it failed to mask the odor of sex that seemed to ooze out of its every pore. An obnoxious giggle broke Theta's brooding, apparently the she-monster found something David had said very amusing.

"That…that wasn't a joke." David's deadpan statement only elicited more giggles from the creature eyeing him lecherously. Obviously uncomfortable, he sidestepped away from the she-monster, looking decidedly nauseous.

They had just entered what seemed to be a more commercial district, shops lined the street, their extravagant displays competing fiercely with each other, either desperately attempting to gain the attention of potential shoppers or give them a seizure.

An excited gasp escaped the she-monster and it ran toward a particularly opulent display case. "Oh…this dress is so beautiful! I'd love for a gentleman to buy it for me." Abnormally large eyes, fluttered flirtatiously at David.

The she-monster had good taste in dresses; Theta had to admit that much. It was a pale blue, strapless affair; long silken gloves flowed up to the bicep of the store manikin. The dress continued down to the floor, allowing the slightest glimpse of the manikin's small feet encased in delicate high heel shoes. Theta snorted in disgust, nasty, nasty evil shoes!

"Yes that's a lovely dress. Where are we going, and more importantly where's the food?" Seemingly put out by David's lack of interest, the she-monster waved them on.

Idly scratching his fuzzy chin, David asked another question seemingly unaware, or uncaring, of the upset she-monster's feelings. "Do you know where I can find some shaving cream? I swear, I don't think there's any in this entire damn city!" Was that why David had been getting more and more scraggly recently? Theta had begun to wonder if some small animal had died on his cheeks.

Raised voices further ahead caught Theta's attention. "Outsiders should not be allowed here!"

"Calm yourself my friend. People will think your time has come if you keep this up." Theta recognized that voice; it belonged to the monster-in-white who had questioned Ratface before the leader had arrived.

"NO, NO! They don't belong here! They will be consumed! The Ascendant will feed!"

"They are guests of the Bishop and are welcomed into Haven, at least until he says otherwise. Now be silent!"

Theta's small group rounded a corner, bringing themselves in sight of the arguing duo. Unfortunately, David, who had been unable to hear the argument called out to the monster-in-white. "Hey, I remember you. Thompson was it?"

The monster-in-white's eyes widened in surprise and alarm, its arm shot out towards the monster it had been talking with. "Stop, you don't want to do this, my friend." Unfortunately it was too late.

The already furious monster ignored its friend; pulling a smallgun from its holster it pointed it at a surprised David. "Leave outsider!" The bang of the weapon sent Theta into action.

Everything seemed to slow as Theta's adrenaline kicked into overdrive. David was jerking backwards, eyes wide in shock and pain. The hostile monster's teeth were barred and its finger was already squeezing the trigger again. The monster-in-white was backing away eyes wide in alarm. The she-beast had thrown herself to the floor, hands clasped tightly over her head. From atop her perch on Theta's shoulders Amanda was screaming.

Theta took a step, raising her arms in preparation for the monster's imminent demise. David's legs had given out and he was falling to the ground. The hostile monster had changed targets; Theta didn't flinch as the tiny, explosion propelled, piece of metal grazed her cheek. The monster-in-white's arms were slowly encasing themselves in ice. The she-beast was screaming inanely from her position on the ground. "Unzip him Sissy! Unzip him!" Theta couldn't help but smirk; it appeared that the sisters were in agreement.

Pain lanced through her arm as the monster shot at her once again, this time hitting her shoulder, not that it helped it; she was already within arms reach. David landed on the ground clutching his side. The hostile monster attempted to backpedal, eyes widening in fear as she latched onto its arm. The monster-in-white seemed to be attempting to gain a clear line of fire on its hostile brother. The she-beast was sobbing in fear, tears running down her ugly face.

The hostile monster's crazed eyes locked onto Theta's, and time resumed its normal pace. With a savage smirk, she broke the monster. She had learned through trial and error the best ways to disable monsters. She had learned what was fatal and what wasn't. She had learned all the ways that joints were supposed to bend, and how best to break them. The knowledge was so ingrained that she didn't have to think about it anymore, her body just reacted.

In the blink of an eye the monster was face first on the ground, with Theta's armored boot planted firmly on its back. Its right arm was very obviously broken, its elbow bent at a shocking angle. Growling savagely, Theta twisted the monsters broken arm further, eliciting a scream of pain from the wounded beast.

"Wait Guardian, please." Theta's eyes turned to the monster-in-white. "He's sick, allow me to treat him, he doesn't deserve-".

"What the fuck's going on over here?" The monster-in-white closed his eyes and let out a disappointed sigh, apparently Ratface's arrival was an unwelcome surprise.

"Anders saw the outsiders and attacked them. I tried to calm him but it was to no avail. The Guardian handled the situation…obviously."

Beady black eyes sparkling with cruel delight, Ratface motioned towards the injured monster. "Grab him, and put him in solitary. We'll find a use for him." Following their leader's orders, two larger then average monsters pushed through the crowd that had gathered and stopped next to Theta, waiting expectantly.

Theta released the injured monster with a disappointed sigh. She'd been looking forward to hurting it; after all it had hurt...

With an alarmed shriek, Theta fell to the ground next to an unconscious David. The reason for his lack of consciousness was readily apparent, there was a red stain slowly spreading across his upper chest. In the center of the slowly growing circle there was a small hole. It hardly seemed right, how could such a small injury cause so much damage?

"Oh…did the outsider get hurt? I think I might cry." Theta made a mental note to hurt Ratface later; she was getting sick of its overly hostile behavior.

Instinctively, Theta closed her eyes and felt the wound, the blood that poured forth, the rapid beating of David's overtaxed heart, the hot metal and the path of torn tissue left in its wake. Probing further with invisible fingers, she grasped the offending object, intent on removing it from David. After all how could he get better if he had metal inside him?

Before she could begin her important task a hand grabbed her wrist, "What are you doing?"

Yellow eyes snapped open and met concerned green ones; the monster-in-white had caught her wrist. Theta allowed a warning growl rise in her throat, she didn't care how much these stupid monsters hated outsiders she was going to help David! "I'm a doctor." Theta allowed her murderous intentions to lessen slightly, she was listening. "I can help him, just follow me…" With that the monster-in-white was off, heading around the corner with surprising speed. "And keep pressure on his injury."

Pausing only to gently lift David off of the ground, Theta set off after the monster-in-white at a brisk pace, carefully keeping pressure on her friend's wound with her telekinesis.


	17. What Makes a Monster

"You ever been on a freighter before?"

"Ummm no…is that a problem?"

With a sigh, the portly red faced man shook his head in disapproval. "You ever even been on a boat before?"

"I went kayaking once…and fell off."

"Look kid, this job can be dangerous. Can't you find a nice job in the city?"

"I've looked; this job pays better then any that I can find in the city. Please, I'll work hard, and I learn quickly."

The Captain put his foot down, face set in a determined but sympathetic expression. "Look David, I understand but we've got better people offering to help out. I don't want to risk lives hiring inexperienced hands."

"Captain Reynolds please, my mom just lost her job, and my sister's pregnant with her second kid. I-we _need_ this money."

"Damn it son." Running an exasperated hand through his thinning hair, the captain shot a murderous glare towards his desk. "David I understand family trouble, I really do, but people will rely on you. You're not trained, and you've never even been on a real ship. I'm sorry, truly, but I can't in good conscious give you the job."

"I understand," Nodding respectfully towards the captain, David turned to leave. "Thank you for your time."

Captain Reynolds nodded towards David as he turned away. Glancing at his desk he spied a nearly empty mug of day old coffee. Against his better judgment he took a swig of the cold liquid, grimacing in distaste. Swirling the murky liquid slowly, the Captain came to a decision. "Wait son," David paused at the doorway glancing back into the Captain's office. "You'll be shadowing Thomas Fanrik, you'll do every damn thing he tells you without question. If you cause any kind of trouble I reserve the right to throw you off of my ship," Extending a hand towards the surprised man the Captain finished, "we have an understanding?"

David felt his shoulders slump in relief. Smiling broadly, he caught the captain's calloused hand in his own, "That we do sir, that we do."

()

After a few minutes the monster-in-white led Theta into a small building, instantly she detected the faint scent of dried blood, pain, and death, a scent she would always associate with the ones who took her humanity. Her initial concerns were not needed; it appeared that the monster was in fact a doctor.

The room was small and dimly lit. The majority of the floor space was taken up by two parallel tables, judging from the stains they were used for surgery. A counter circled the room; various medical supplies were strewn, seemingly haphazardly, across its surface. Several pantries hung from the far wall, no doubt also filled with things of a medical nature. Beneath the pantries lay a large sink, so clean it actually sparkled. Despite the seemingly random and disorganized layout of the room, everything in it was meticulously clean. The room seemed almost tense with anticipation, eagerly awaiting its next patient.

"Set him on the far table, I need a couple of seconds to get ready." The monster-in-white was busily scrubbing his hands under the faucet of the sparkly sink. "If you could hand me the knock out gas please, it's just there, the light blue canister on the counter." Theta set her sister on the ground before, somewhat grudgingly, grabbing the indicated container. A quick sniff of its contents succeeded only in bringing back memories of pain and terror and a short burst of lightheadedness. Shaken, Theta set the canister down on a table next to David's unmoving body.

Still scrubbing its hands furiously the monster glanced at her over its shoulder. "Place the mask over his nose and mouth." Intelligent green eyes followed Theta's movements as the monster calmly watched her actions. "Good, now turn the valve just enough to-." Theta turned the valve slightly, releasing the gas into David's mask. Eyebrow raised the monster gave her an inquisitive look. "Perfect, I take it you've done this before?" Theta shook her head, shoving painful memories aside.

The monster, having finally finished with its hands, ran to the other side of the small room and reached for a pair of rubber gloves. For no reason that Theta could detect, the monster extended his arm for the gloves, stopped, and retracted his arm. Only after going through that motion tree times did it allow itself to grab the gloves. Theta raised an eyebrow at the unexplained odd behavior.

"Doc, can you save him? Please tell me you can save him!" Eyes closing in exasperation, Theta sighed, the she-monster had followed them…wonderful.

"He shoved me out of the line of fire, doc!" No he didn't you idiotic cretin!

"You can't let him die! I still need to thank him for saving me!" How could he have saved you? He was shot in the first second of the fight!

Theta's heated glare towards the irritating entity was interrupted by the sound tearing fabric. The monster-in-white had cut open David's shirt with large pair of scissors and was raising a scalpel. Theta watched with morbid fascination as it cut into David's fragile skin. The smell of fresh blood filled the room slowly, the red liquid trickling slowly down David's bare chest.

"How is he doc? Does he need blood? I can give him blood!"

Sending a withering glare at the she-monster, the monster-in-white paused in its delicate task. "Andrea, shut the hell up! Unless you are trying to distract me with your inane shrieking, you are not helping!"

Suitably cowed, the she-monster responded in a hushed whisper, "Sorry doc, I only wanted to help." Theta didn't bother to contain her arrogant smirk, as, with a final nervous glance in David's direction, the she-monster left.

The process was far faster then Theta had expected, after only a minute the monster pulled the pea sized object out of David's chest. "Your friend is lucky, the bullet missed anything vital. He shouldn't do anything too strenuous for a few days though." After a pause the monster extended its hand, "Here." Theta took the small object from the monster's hand, unsure of what else to do.

Theta's keen eyes studied the unassuming piece of metal. This object, this miniscule piece of metal, held the power of life and death. How could something so small kill someone? Was the human body really so fragile?

Slight discomfort drew her attention to her own injuries. It appeared her body had healed around the bullet she had taken in the shoulder; she could feel it rubbing against bone when she rotated her arm. That was not acceptable; she would remove the foreign object later, once she knew David and her sister were safe.

"-with some Adam to accelerate the healing process." In a flash, Theta caught the monster's wrist, halting the Adam laden syringe an instant before it would have injected its payload. "He doesn't want Adam? Are you sure? It will help him heal." Theta shook her head stubbornly; he wouldn't want it, especially now that he actually understood what it could do to him.

"As you wish…" Despite the cluttered surroundings, the monster found surgical string and a needle with in seconds. With remarkable skill the monster stitched David's wound shut. Its task now complete, the monster turned its attention to Theta, shrewd eyes studying her pale features. "Now if you could lie down in the other table we can deal with your wound."

Sensing her growing alarm, the monster attempted to calm her. "I'm a doctor, it's my job to see when someone's hurt, and to see when someone's trying to hide it." The monster wasn't arrogantly toting its success, quite the opposite in fact. It just leaned against the counter, as far as she could tell it seemed honestly concerned about her wellbeing.

"I know you heal quickly, very quickly in fact, but that doesn't make you immune to injuries. You and I both know that you don't always heal correctly; any Sister who has broken a bone knows that." Theta felt herself beginning to hyperventilate. She wouldn't let the monster hurt her! It was just a trick! It wanted to hurt her like the others did! It just wanted to change her into something else, something even less human!

"That flawed healing isn't restricted to your skeletal system. Any injury you suffer has a chance to heal incorrectly. Nerves can cross and misfire or control the wrong muscles, muscles reconnecting where they don't belong." Theta felt tears begin to flow down her face as she franticly shook her head. She didn't want it. She didn't want it to hurt her. She didn't want it to cut her open, rearrange her insides, inject her with Adam, and take what little humanity she had left.

"I'm a doctor, I've taken an oath. I will not hurt you, I will not hurt anyone. I just want to help; I want to make sure you heal correctly." Why hadn't she realized it before? It wore white like the others; of coarse it would want to hurt her. Not bothering to hide her whimpering, Theta shook her head more forcibly. Please don't. She didn't want to get hurt again. She'd be good, she would! She'd do whatever it wanted! Just don't make her lay on the table!

"Just lay down, I'm trying to help." Nearly beside herself with fear, Theta sat on the table. She stared into the monster's eyes, terrified tear filled gaze silently begging the monster to just leave her alone.

A soft smile spread across the monster's features. "Good, now lay down, this won't take long." Soft sob slipping past her lips, Theta obliged.

"This isn't a serious wound so I'm just going to apply some localized anesthetic. You can watch if you want, I promise I won't hurt you."

"_I promise we won't hurt you, we're only going to make you better."_ The monster's softly uttered attempt at comfort was the last straw; its similarity to that empty promise long ago didn't escape her. Eyes closed in terror; Theta grabbed the mask from its idle location next to David and pressed it to her face, deeply inhaling the scentless gas. If she was going to become a true monster, she didn't want to remember any of it.

More terrified then she had ever been in her short tormented life; Protector M2-Theta let consciousness leave her.

()

_Trapped in a horribly familiar room, she screamed._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_Blood flooded her mouth as she bit Papa Suchong._

_The gas hadn't done what they said it would, she could still see and hear and feel._

_Fists rained savagely down on her unprotected face as undecipherable screams echoed in the confined space._

_The first suicide attempt occurred at age 7 during her imprisonment in the room._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_She had vomited twice while trying to eat her socks, the third try she kept them down, it was only an hour before she moved on to the bile._

_The knife, as it cut open her belly, hurt more then she had thought was possible. _

_It wasn't her fault; she just didn't want to drink from the body._

_The first time she used a weapon in an attempt to kill herself was after Daddy tried to kill her._

_The monster's sightless eyes stared accusingly at her, silently condemning its murderer._

_Her life flashed before her eyes as the behemoth brutalized her, she wished that it wouldn't do that, she was already upset enough._

_She couldn't move without her skin splitting, it was so dry. _

_Roaring in fury, Daddy's lance smashed into her face. _

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_She was so hungry, she didn't think it was possible to be this hungry and not die._

_She couldn't move as the wriggling worm was sewn into her body, she could feel every twinge of agony as the needle traveled through her flesh._

_The metallic taste of blood flooded her senses as she gulped down the red liquid in great desperate gulps, she was so thirsty._

_She lay in the fetal position and cried, even though the tears had stopped coming long ago._

_Mammoth boot crushing her chest, all she could do was whimper as the monster loomed over her. _

_The hands holding her exposed organs were very, very cold._

_The first time she used fire in an attempt to kill herself was after the monster violated her._

_She stared uncomprehendingly at the closed door, they had do let her out, didn't they?_

_All she could do was scream and writhe in agony as the laughing monster set her aflame._

_Even the feeling of air brushing against her exposed stomach blinded her with pain, and made her miss the knife._

_It was only when the rage had left and the blood had dried that Theta realized the monsters had lied; they hadn't made her better they had made her into another monster._

_What had she done to deserve this, she must deserve this, right?_

_She lost count of her suicide attempts in the room; she'd tried and tried until she had been too malnourished to move._

_She beat her ruined hands against the unyielding door, ignoring the sound of her bones breaking, they had to let her out, they just had to._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_She had to go with the bad men; they said they would hurt her parents otherwise. _

_Her vision clouded and her lungs felt like they were going to explode as the hand closed further around her throat._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_Samantha was dead, she had deserved what she got, Theta was a good girl she wouldn't get hurt anymore._

_She tried eating herself once, only once, it was too painful, even if she was nearly mad with hunger._

_She lay on the ground trembling, torn clothes strewn about the room; she wished the monster had just killed her._

_Pinned to the door with an arrow, all she could do was watch and scream as the monster carved intricate designs into her flesh._

_She didn't know why she was surprised when her voice left, everything else already had._

_Instead of a scream she released a wet wheezing noise as the monster slit her throat. _

_A scream slipped past her cracked lips as the soulless creature pretending to be a little boy sunk its teeth into her flesh, vacant eyes showing only hunger…an endless all encompassing hunger._

_Hung, shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, burned, and electrocuted, she had stopped trying to kill herself after that, it was too hard._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_Defective products are put in storage never to be seen again, she was a defective product._

_She was a defective product…and she deserved everything that happened to her._


	18. Doctor Knows Best

"ject…unconscious…hree hours now. Can't imagine…somethin…een through to show that kind of reaction." A calm voice slowly began to pierce David's drug induced haze.

"Muscle tissue has now completely encompassed the bullet I removed; all other signs of injury on the subject have healed flawlessly. I have exposed the subject's tissue to extreme heat and cold, it has healed flawlessly."

David felt his blood run cold, "I have exposed the subject's tissue to an acidic solution, it has healed flawlessly."

As silently as he could, David pushed himself up from the table he had been resting, wincing as pain jolted through his chest. "The subject likely has a vastly increased tolerance for pain, or at the very least pays far less attention to it."

A bloody scalpel lay on the nearby counter; David confiscated it as silently as he could. "The subject showed absolutely no reaction to my scalpel, even when I severed a nerve that had healed around the bullet."

The base of the neck, that was what David was aiming for. If successful the wound should be quick and clean, and Thompson's death painless. Unfortunately, as it had been recently, the world seemed to be conspiring against David, his foot crushed some kind of empty glass vial.

Faster then David would have thought possible the doctor spun around, hands encased in ice he thrust them forward. David found himself immobile, surrounded by a thin layer of frost. "Wait Surfacer, it's not what you think!"

David's eyes narrowed in anger, anger he would have voiced but being immobilized by ice was somewhat detrimental to that effort. "Please surfacer, just listen to me, and allow me to explain." David felt his eyes narrowed further, it wasn't as if he had a choice in the matter.

"I did not harm your friend; I only removed a bullet from its shoulder that its body had healed around. Whatever you heard when you awoke was my experimenting on the flesh that had bonded to the bullet." The doctor stepped aside, gesturing to a small orb of flesh sitting on the counter. "Believe it or not, there is a bullet in there."

Shrewd green eyes analyzed David's face, "I'm going to let you out. I assume you won't continue your unwise attack; I can always immobilize you again." In a flash the immobilizing ice melted and David collapsed to the floor.

"Y-you couldn't h-have st-stopped me in a different w-way? W-was the ice really n-necessary?"

"I could have electrocuted you, or used chemicals. Those are much, much more painful." A soft chuckle split the air as the doctor continued. "I am a doctor after all; I thought the ice was the most humane way to stop your attack."

Still trembling from the cold, David stood slowly, "Yeah…I think that was probably for the best."

A gentle but firm hand guided David back to the bed he had rested upon. "You are still recovering from being shot. Sit down, your body needs time to rest and recover. Now that you seem to have decided not to murder me I think introductions are in order, my name is Aaron Thompson nice to meet you."

"Right social niceties and all that, my name's David Kristoff." David turned his gaze to the woman sleeping fitfully on the bed next to him, concern flickering across his features. "Why is Samantha still asleep?"

As the silence dragged on, David glanced towards the shocked doctor leaning against the counter. "Doc did you hear me?"

"Y-yes, yes I heard you. It inhaled a large quantity of knockout gas, though I believe it is just sleeping now." Having answered David's question the doctor asked one of his own. "Did you give it that name or did it tell you? Can it talk?"

Narrowing his eyes at the doctor calling Samantha it, David responded. "Samantha can't talk, _she_ was trying to tell me her name and I managed to guess it after a bit."

"I didn't think it would be able to, M2-Protectors vocal cords are surgically altered to create sounds reminiscent of a M1-Protector, albeit at a much higher octave."

"Wait…how do you know so much about Samantha?"

The doctor, who had been staring into space, jumped before looking back to the forgotten human. "I was a laboratory assistant working with the original Protectors. I recognized some of the techniques used in their creation on the Mark 2."

"_She_ has a name…Samantha, not Mark 2, not protector, Samantha!"

"I don't mean to insult you, but you are wrong. Its name isn't Samantha its Theta. The marking on its hand, is the Greek letter Theta. It is the eighth subject in the Mark 2 line, not Samantha. It is not human and never will be, no matter how much you try to view it as such."

David felt his anger rise further. "If she's some inhuman monster why did she save my life? Why hasn't she killed me? She's had plenty of opportunities to do just that!"

"It isn't a human and doesn't think like one. It viewed you and your care for its charge as a potential asset. I assure you if you had ever endangered either of them in any way it would have killed or abandoned you."

()

_She ran through the dark, heedless of direction, nothing mattered not anymore. The monster's rasping breath chased her fleeing form, thunderous footfalls echoed down the dank hallway, following the slapping of her bare feet._

_She had to find Daddy, Daddy would save her. A terrified sob escaped Samantha's throat as she flew around a corner, the monster's mammoth twisted husk savagely crashing into the wall behind her. She could feel Daddy near by; she just had to reach him. He would protect her, Daddy always protected her. _

"_Daddy!" Her voice sounded weak and raspy, carrying none of the force it normally did when she screamed for help. _

_Bursting into a clearing Samantha saw the familiar figure of her Father, she was safe. The trees in the clearing swayed softly in a gentle breeze, a light brighter then any she had ever seen filtered down through the foliage tinting everything a dull green. _

_The sun…that must be the sun. For some reason that didn't seem right, it took Theta's confused brain several seconds to realize the problem; she had never seen the sun before. She glanced down at her armor encased hands, clenching and unclenching them a few times._

_Theta's glowing eyes landed on Father and her confusion returned anew. Hadn't Daddy abandoned her? Wasn't he gone? Daddy's hand extended towards her, visor glowing a friendly green._

_The cool metal of Daddy's gloved hand was comforting against the skin of her far smaller hand. Samantha smiled at Daddy, she was safe now, nothing could hurt her if Daddy was with her. _

_The familiar feeling of another Gatherer signaled the monster's arrival, all around it the clearing and its beautiful trees withered and died, the bright light of the sun flickered and dimmed. _

_Pushing her behind him, Daddy roared a challenge at the foul monster corrupting the clearing, a roar answered by mute silence from the heinous beast. Mighty lance roaring alongside him, Daddy charged the creature. _

_Daddy's armored bulk crashed into the silent monster as flesh met steel. Lance cleaving though the monster's skin, Daddy attacked it viciously. Samantha felt her hopes soar, Daddy was winning, even the terrible monster couldn't stand before him. The monster staggered backwards unzipped, unable to whether Daddy's assault, before collapsing to the ground in a heap._

_Samantha leapt to her Daddy, hugging his armored leg. He was her knight and he had saved her from the beast. Why was she happy? Daddy had abandoned her, he didn't care about her._

_Theta stared at her Father's corpse in bemusement. Why had she needed saving? She wasn't scared of a monster, no matter what kind. Launching her armored form towards the pale creature standing before her, Theta barred her teeth, harvester at the ready._

_The harvester piercing the beast's flesh was accompanied by a surge of unimaginable pain. Theta couldn't suppress a whimper as she looked up from the hand piercing her belly. _

_Eyes meeting nothing but the monster's empty sockets she tried desperately to beg for mercy. "Please, it's not my fault." She felt her lips tremble as she continued past the blood pouring forth, "I'm sorry, please don't."_

_Pain tore through her once again as the monster pulled her higher into the air. "Please, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Mouth opening wider then she had thought possible the monster accepted her apology, ending her life with a sickening crunch._

()

No!

Adam, light, blood, fear, laughter, make it stop! Anger, shouting, crashes, sweat, screaming, it was too much! Sobs, bangs, sewage, whispers, machinery, please, please make it stop. Shattering glass, an inhuman scream, alarmed yells, pain, repetitive banging, what was happening? Frantic mind unable to process all the input from her enhanced senses, Theta felt herself slipping further and further into a panic.

It was too much, it was all too much! As her throat began to burn, Theta realized she was the source of the earsplitting, inhuman screams. She felt tears flow down her cheeks; it was all too much, far, far too much.

Adam permeated everything, its alluring scent overpowering her nose and causing her belly to rumble. The background noise seemed to be rising in volume, defeating her overwhelmed brain's attempts at filtering it at every turn. The terrified screams of a child threw itself into the chaotic chorus overwhelming her ears.

Theta clamped her hands over her ears scream rising in volume. It had to stop! How could they handle the noise? Theta's overwhelmed senses felt a gentle weight place itself on her shoulder. Opening tearstained eyes at the unexpected sensation, Theta saw David crouched before her, concern evident in his steel blue eyes. His mouth was moving, he was saying something.

Frantic brain latching onto the obvious anchor, Theta attempted to concentrate on David and reign in her run away senses. Scream dieing in her throat, she stared intently at him as his mouth repeated the same movements over and over again. The massed meaningless background noise was not phased by her meager efforts and redoubled its attack.

Theta curled up, legs clenched defensively against her chest, clamped her hands back over her ears, and closed her eyes. It was too much, it was just too much. A particularly loud crash echoed from within the settlement, causing Theta to whimper. Why couldn't they just be quiet?

A strange word pierced through Theta's over stimulated brain, Sam…someone had called her Sam. In a final desperate attempt Theta latched onto that sound, tuning all others out. "Can you hear me Sam? Are you alright?" The voice, which Theta had recognized as David's, lowered and became almost hostile, "This seems like a completely inhuman thing to do doesn't it? After all "monsters" don't feel fear, do they?"

Theta's overtaxed brain was unable to decipher the meaning behind the words, she was just glad to be able to focus on one thing. Still trembling Theta opened her eyes. David was still kneeling before her, "Are you okay, Sam?"

It took several seconds for Theta to understand the words, but once she did she smiled. Releasing a shaking laugh she leaned forward, resting her forehead against David's chest and slowly let her senses come back into focus.

After a few moments David patted her gently on the back, "The next time you have a minor mental breakdown try to avoid the horrible screams. I think my ears are bleeding, Sam."

Theta couldn't help but smile at David's obvious attempt at making light of the situation and his new nickname for her. Theta had never been called Sam before, she found she liked it.

()

"I still think that you and your friend should stay with me while you recover."

"That's touching Doc but I think we'll be fine." David couldn't help but glare at Thompson, he still insisted on calling Samantha Theta or it.

"Are you sure you're okay hun? I wouldn't want you getting hurt on my account." David couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes, Andrea had returned shortly after Samantha's panic attack, Amanda in tow. David's injury seemed to have reinforced her infatuation with him, despite the fact that he had done absolutely nothing to protect her in the brief fight.

David was able to hear a low growl just on the edge of his hearing range; it appeared Samantha shared his view of the infatuated Splicer. Samantha for her part seemed subdued, deep in thought. David hadn't noticed it at first but she always made sure he was between herself and the doctor; it was almost like she feared him.

A childish voice sounded from the owner's perch on Samantha's shoulders "I'm glad you're okay Mr. Ordinary! I was afraid you'd been unzipped."

"Thanks Amanda, I'm glad I wasn't unzipped."

Andrea had led them into a large building, seemingly a makeshift apartment complex, the flats seemed to get more and more luxurious the higher they got in the building. After what seemed an eternity to the still exhausted human Andrea stopped outside of a room. "This is your room," She said, gesturing at Samantha and her charge. "David's is two doors down on the right."

David started to stumble sleepily towards his door only to be interrupted by the female Splicer. "There's a banquet being held in your honor tonight in the Temple. The Bishop expects at least the two of you to attend."

Unable to suppress a groan, David turned to the female Splicer. "Why do we have to come? Doesn't he know I was shot?"

An obnoxious giggle answered his question, "Of course you have to come, it's being held in your honor. And the Bishop knows that you've recovered sufficiently to attend the feast, he would have delayed it otherwise."

"Right…how silly of me." It seemed rest would have to wait. "Do you know where I can get a hold of some," David paused, looking over his torn bloodied cloths, "…not horrible cloths."

An inane giggle followed his question, "I know of some places, sailor. I could help _find_ your size." David's bout of dry heaving was accompanied by a low growl from Samantha.

"I can take you to a store, surfacer." David found it hard not to glare at Thompson, either the doctor actually thought he was helping or he was far more manipulative then he seemed.

David closed his eyes, willing the rapidly forming headache away. On one hand he had Andrea, an obviously disturbed individual who appeared to have a crush in him. On the other he had Thompson, a surprisingly sane Splicer who would no doubt continue to try to convince him of Samantha's inhumanness. Unfortunately the choice was obvious.

"Okay Thompson, lets go…before I rethink this." Tuning out Andrea's upset pout and Samantha's alarmed gasp, David followed the Splicer away from the building, wanting nothing more then a nap…and to finally find some shaving cream.

()

Theta couldn't suppress a surge of nervousness as David walked away; she hoped he would be okay.

"Sissy, is Mr. Ordinary coming back?" Setting Amanda on the ground, Theta nodded comfortingly at the concerned child.

The obnoxious sound of someone clearing their throat reminded Theta of her other companion. "So…do you want to get something to eat while the boys are away?" It was truly incredible, the she-beast had only said one sentence and already Theta's head was pounding.

A heinous squeal echoed through the cramped hallway as the she-beast's voice rose to an even more grating octave. "We could go shopping!" If she ripped out the she-beast's tongue would David be mad? It wouldn't die…probably.

"I could get you a dress or something, or some high heel shoes!" Or maybe she could cut out its voice box, she was good at that.

"You pull of the armor plated intimidating look really well, but a girl has to accessorize! Am I right?" Maybe she could throw it off the building, make it look like an accident…or suicide, David wouldn't be mad at her if he didn't know she did it.

"Sissy, I'm sleepy." Theta smiled at her younger sibling, lifting her off the ground. The little girl had probably saved the she-beast's life.

Theta opened the door to her room, turning her back to the she-monster. "Oh…okay. We can go shopping…" Theta slammed the door shut behind her, leaving the she-beast alone in the hallway. "…later. Well tonight's going to be fun."

Theta set her charge on the ground, allowing her to leap onto the lone bed in their room. She quickly surveyed the room for potential entrances, seeing only one she locked the door.

Leaving her sister to her nap, Theta walked into the bathroom, the shower was calling her name.


	19. New and Familiar Faces

Warm water was something Theta hadn't felt in what seemed like years. She felt as if she was almost in a trance as the delightfully warm water flowed down her skin, taking various impurities with it.

Skin tingling as the water's temperature hovered on the edge of pain, Theta scrubbed savagely at her body, determined to get herself well and truly clean.

A brightly colored bottle caught Theta's attention; the unfamiliar word decorating it was hard for Theta to decipher. Shampoo…what was shampoo? Cautiously curious, Theta lifted the bright orange bottle to her face. The top of the container gave her a moment's pause before she managed to open the strange object.

An overpoweringly sweet smell flooded the confined space of the shower. Gagging in disgust, Theta tossed the foul mixture away closing it in midair with her powers. What in the world could the purpose of such a strong scented liquid be?

()

"How long have you been in the city?"

"I don't know…about a week?"

"How long were you alone?"

"A few hours, I don't know exactly. Some crazy bastard started chasing me the second I left the bathysphere. I stumbled onto a…slightly less crazy group of Splicers and they decided I might be an asset."

"Would this one do surfacer?" A hunched Splicer held up a somewhat wrinkled suit. It was dull grey, or possibly faded black. Other then its faded coloring and a few rips it was in remarkably good condition.

"Yeah I'll take it. Will it fit?"

Seemingly insulted by David's question the Splicer snorted in disgust before responding. "Yes I will tailor it to your measurements immediately. It won't be much longer then an hour, maybe two."

Oblivious to the feelings of the Splicer, David continued his questions. "Isn't that really quick? You sure you can finish-"

"Come Surfacer, I know a bar nearby where we can wait for your suit." Thompson interrupted, sensing the Splicer's growing agitation.

"A bar? Time for male bonding I take it?"

With a dry chuckle Thompson nodded, "Right Surfacer, of course."

()

Creaking slightly, the refrigerator opened, revealing its edible contents. Unfamiliar canisters filled nearly every inch of empty space, shocking in their diversity.

Blinking against the rush of cool air, Theta skeptically surveyed the contents. A vibrant orange container caught her wandering eye, dubious about its edibility she pulled it from the shelf on which it rested. Judging from the liquid she felt sloshing around the inside of the container this was some kind of beverage.

Curious about the nature of the liquid, Theta rotated the container so the label was facing her. Orange juice…orange juice, really? It's vibrantly orange! That much was readily apparent. What a truly informative name.

Loosing a frustrated huff, Theta loosened the container's top and was promptly overwhelmed with an incredibly acidic scent. Throat burning, Theta lapsed into an uncontrollable fit of coughing, allowing the forgotten container to fall to the ground, contents spilling across the kitchen floor.

Stinging eyes clenched shut and her hands clamped over her nose and mouth, Theta tried to stumble from the kitchen. Her first warning that it wouldn't be that easy was her right foot's sudden and unexpected loss of traction as it slipped in a puddle of the foul liquid.

With a crash and an alarmed shriek, Theta slammed into the tile floor of her kitchen. "Sissy! Sissy! Are you okay?" Still dazed and in pain, Theta purred softly and reassuringly for her sister to hear.

Readying herself to stand, Theta felt a most unwelcome sensation, a cool liquid brushing against her scalp. It appeared she was going to need another shower.

Stupid orange juice!

()

The Pit was quite aptly named as it turned out. It was a dingy bar located against the wall of the large cavern. Hidden underneath a rocky outcropping David would probably have missed it if Thompson hadn't guided him strait there. He found himself leaning against the counter of the bar, drinking from a mug that was quite possibly dirtier then the floor of this five star establishment.

The entire building was haphazardly thrown together from spare parts and scrap metal. The hulking bouncers that flanked the entrance, isolated patrons who sent David and Thompson hateful glares, and the one armed bartender all combined to form a downright hostile atmosphere.

The cleanest part of the bar was the grimy; rust covered counter, not that that was saying much. If the brewery was as rust coated as the rest of the building David felt he might need a tetanus shot after this was over. As if sensing his less then complementary thoughts about the establishment the bartender leered at him, rolling the necrotic stump that was all that remained of his arm menacingly.

Leaning away from the unfriendly proprietor David prepared himself to stand, only to be interrupted by his strange companion. "What happened to the Splicers that you worked with?"

With a slight sigh, David sat down and took another swig from his mug. "I had no idea what was going on and followed them. They said they were hunting a Big Daddy." Thompson's sharp intake of breathe gave David a mirthless grin. "I'm sure you can see where this is going."

Keenly watching the upset human, Thompson idly swirled his drink. "The Protector was sent to recover the stolen Adam?"

"Yeah she was. During her wanton slaughter of my…allies I stumbled upon Amanda. In my panic and uninformed ignorance I tried to "save" her from Samantha. The only reason Sam didn't disembowel me the second we met was because Amanda started screaming at her the second she tried."

"I'm still surprised it didn't just kill you. I've never heard of one even hesitating before."

"_She _isn't an it! And she isn't some mindless automaton!"

"_It_ is one; that's what it was programmed for. It was made using almost the same techniques as a Mark 1 Protector, why would it miraculously have free will?"

Loosing an irritated sigh, David stood from the stool on which he had been perched. "I'm going to go grab my suit, it should be done by now." Turning to the menacing bartender, David winked. "Thank you very much for the amazing beverage, when I'm dieing of tetanus I'll be sure to think of you!"

Before the irritating doctor could continue his lecture, David turned and stormed out of the bar. He needed a drink.

()

Theta had learned what shampoo was used for; it had been quite effective at removing the foul smelling and sticky liquid from her hair. If she was being entirely truthful with herself she really could have gotten out of the shower several minutes ago, however the warm water was far too soothing for her to give up.

Unfortunately her stomach had other ideas, vocalizing its frustration it brought an end to her brief peace. With a rumbling sigh, Theta turned off the water and evaporated the rest off of her body. Pulling her robe on she entered her room and headed back for the kitchen. Telekinetically tossing the spilled orange juice down the drain, she opened the fridge once again.

Taking out cheese, meat, and some slightly moldy bread, Theta prepared herself to make a sandwich…after all how hard could it be?

()

It was raining, thunder crashed through the night sky, correction it was pouring. Not that he should feel surprised, it seemed like it was always raining in London. It had been over twenty years since he'd last been to this hell hole. The city had almost healed from the war, though some scars were still noticeable.

Recognizing a street from the instructions he'd received he pointed it out to the driver. "Turn right up there."

"You sure you know where you're going, sir? There's not much out that way."

Curiosity was not something he wanted from his driver. "I'm positive, and I'm not paying you to ask questions."

"Right you are."

The ride passed in an awkward silence for the next few minutes, allowing him to relive cherished memories.

()

"I love you"

Tony Gibbs smiled at the beautiful woman latched onto his arm. Cynthia had never looked more beautiful, it had been eight years to the day since he they had gotten married.

With a joyful laugh, Cynthia's hand found his as she pulled him deeper into their home, avoiding the sleeping form of their dog. "Come on!"

Laughing along with his wife, Tony allowed the far smaller woman to pull him through the hallways of his house. "Where are we going, love?"

Before she could respond they reached their destination. Pushing the bedroom door open Cynthia leaned against his shoulder. "Look at her, she's so beautiful."

"She takes after you, thank God. If our daughter looked like me I'd be very concerned."

"I don't know…she has your laugh and smile. Every time she laughs I'm reminded of you."

With a sultry laugh, Cynthia wrapped her arms around her husband. "Come on, I think I want another one."

Allowing the alcohol already in his system to do its work, Tony lifted his giggling wife off the ground and swept her to their bed.

()

Theta's sandwich might have been more accurate if it had been called a sandexplosion. How was she supposed to know mayonnaise could pop if it was squeezed too hard?

At least the shower was nice…again. Could an underwater city run out of hot water? Theta didn't know but she was planning to find out.

()

"Sir, I don't leave the city limits. If you want to get somewhere else you'll need to rent a car or catch a train."

Jerked out of his fond memories, Tony glared at the irritating Brit. "I'll pay you triple just get me where I'm going."

Spitting his cigarette out in astonishment the cab driver stared incredulously at Tony. "Triple? What are you sure?"

Hardly resisting the urge to just shoot the irritating man and be done with it, Tony glared at the driver. Barely keeping his voice from a furious yell, he responded. "Yes I'm sure! Just get me there or fuck off!"

"R-right, sorry boss, I uh I got to call my wife quickly." Sprinting from the car, the taxi driver stopped at a phone booth.

Mentally, Tony gauged the chance that the irritating little prick was calling to police. He'd seen the greedy glint in the little man's eyes; he seriously doubted he was the type to call the police. And even if he was, the pistol on his hip and light machine gun in his bag meant he wouldn't keep that notion long.

()

Sighing in exhaustion, David tossed his newly pilfered suit onto his bed. He'd barely made it out of Sam's place before she got out of the shower. He found himself hoping she didn't take his gift the wrong way, though knowing his luck she would.

Dismissively tossing his ruined shirt onto the floor, David collapsed onto his bed. He needed to get at least a few hours of sleep before that damn party.

What seemed like seconds before sleep would have claimed him in its restorative embrace; David heard slight movement and felt his bed shift. Blearily trying to open his eyes he turned his head towards the source of the disturbance.

An obnoxiously high pitched voice broke his blissful sleep. "Hey sailor…"

()

An inhuman yelp startled Tony from his restful slumber. Extricating himself from his wife's sleeping form, he leapt from his bed. With practiced ease he pulled his pistol from his nightstand. "What is it love?"

"Stay there Cynthia, I'm going to check it out. If I'm not back within two minutes call the police." Another thunk echoed from deeper in the house triggering Tony to stalk towards the door.

Tony's bare feet made no discernable noise on the carpeted hallway leading into the kitchen. An earsplitting crash signaled his Grandmother's ashes falling from their location on the mantle.

That was it! Tony spun around the corner, gun at the ready, screaming in rage. "That was my Grandmother you s-!" Tony stopped short, blood running cold. Some…thing was standing in his kitchen holding his struggling German Shepherd by the throat. "What the fuck? Put Rocky down you freak!"

A sharp crack caused Tony to visibly flinch as the creature violently wrenched Rocky's jaws apart before dropping the dead animal on the ground. Shocked by the suddenness of his dog's demise, Tony was unable to react as the armored creature lashed out with its metal clad boot, knocking him into the far wall.

Screaming in rage as the primal part of his brain took over; Tony leapt to his feet and charged at the surprised abomination. His massive bulk was enough to knock the unnatural freak on its back. Still screaming savagely he slammed his fists repeatedly into the creature's armored head until his hands bled.

Somehow he found a knife in his hands, still screaming at the injustice of his dog's death he raised it over his head. With all the strength in his massive body he brought it down on the freak's head, only for it to catch both his clenched fists in a surprisingly dainty hand.

In a shocking display of flexibility the monster managed to plant both its feet on his chest, displaying an inhuman amount of strength it gave a mighty shove and sent him flying across his living room only to land next to the fireplace.

The reverberating impacts of the creature's armor plated boots readily announced its rapid advance on his position. A surprisingly delicate hand grasped his throat in an iron grip. With as much effort as it took him to lift a book the monster hefted him off of his feet.

He'd thought he'd seen death in the war, he'd been wrong. Death itself was standing before him, blood red porthole staring unblinkingly into his eyes. The familiar sound of the hammer of his pistol being readied brought both his and the monster's attention to the trembling form of Cynthia.

"P-put him down! D-don't make me shoot you!" A sob passed her trembling lips. "P-please don't make me k-kill you. Just put him down."

For what seemed an eternity the unnatural entity and the two humans remained completely still. Tony released a chocked gurgle and the miniature lifetime passed. Faster then any human could react, the monster threw Tony towards the wall. As Cynthia's eyes tracked her husband's path through the air the monster charged. Shriek of the damned shattering all the glass in the house, the monster impaled Cynthia upon the spear like weapon grafted to its arm.

The last thing Tony saw before he lost consciousness was his wife's limp body falling to the floor as her murder calmly walked into their daughter's room, the lifeblood of the love of his life still dripping from its weapon.

()

"Lookit, Sissy, lookit! It's sooooo pretty!"

Unable to hold back a smile, Theta walked towards the bedroom, it appeared that her sister was awake again. Upon reaching her bedroom Theta stopped short, staring in shock at the beautiful object resting on her bed.

The dress, the blue dress that the she-hag had been obsessing over was lying on her bed! Theta's initial excitement faded into caution. Why was it here? Still keeping her distance Theta bent from the waist to survey the unfamiliar object.

Giving her bed a quick once over, Theta noticed something she'd missed earlier. The foul high heeled shoes were resting next to her dress along with something else. A note, there was a note on her pillow. A flick of her wrist pulled it through the air, only to come to a stop hovering before her eyes.

_I figured that you were probably going to wear your loverly armor to the feast. Being that we are in fact trying not to die, I thought that might send the wrong message. If this assumption was wrong, sorry. You can give me the dress back and I can give it to that jackass of a tailor, can you believe he actually accused me of cross dressing? _

_David._

Snorting in amusement at the mental image of David in a dress, Theta picked the beautiful gown up. It was actually made of silk! Unable to resist a girlish squeal she prepared to take her robe off.

Muffled yells halted her preparation; there was some sort of struggle going on somewhere in the building. After a moment's pause she came to the conclusion that it wasn't a cause of worry.

A commotion in the hallway stopped her progress once again, this time before it could begin. Whatever the commotion was, it was getting closer. Snatching the horrid shoes from the bed, Theta stalked towards the entrance. If she wasn't going to wear them at least she could chuck them at the monster's causing the commotion.

A sudden thud echoed through her room as something hit her door, a thud immediately followed by rapid pounding. That's it! She was going to jam the heels of these shoes into the monster's eyes!

Tearing the door open Theta raised the shoe over her head, only to pause in confusion at the disheveled human standing before her. David was standing in the doorway, shirtless, with a black eye and several scratch marks on his chest and shoulder. What in the world is going on?

"Move!" Shoving Theta out of the way David dove behind her kitchen counter. "Close the damn door!" Thoroughly perplexed, Theta did as she was told. Padding softly over to the counter, she leaned over and looked at the hiding human.

"No! Shhh! Don't look at me! Pretend I'm not here!" What was going on? Growing frustrated, Theta flailed her arm and stamped a foot. He was going to explain what the hell was going on!

Once again pounding echoed through her room. Sighing in frustration, Theta left the human where he was and moved to the door. "No don't open it!"

Ready to rip something limb from limb, Theta tore the door open. "Hi! Have you seen David? We were doing something and he just ran off." Stupid, loathsome, foul-smelling, giggly, lecherous…ugly…hag…thing! It wasn't fair! Why'd the she-monster have to be here?

"So, have you seen David?" Eyes narrowed in hate, Theta shook her head. "Oh, if you see him could you tell me?" Hateful glare now accompanied with a growl, Theta shook her head once again. "What? Why?" Eager to get rid of the irritating entity, Theta shoved the foul shoes into its face. "Oh! Where'd you get these?" Slamming the door shut Theta turned to the smirking human.

"Hmm…that worked well didn't it? Wait a minute…have you always had red hair?" A sigh rumbled up from Theta's throat, as she nodded resignedly. "Wow, how dirty was your hair?" Theta really wanted to glare at the human once again; the beautiful dress on her bed ruined that plan though.

With a resigned sigh, Theta allowed herself to settle for an affectionate thwack to the forehead.

()

"Here we are boss. You want me to wait for you?"

Slamming the taxi's door as he stood, Tony shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"Right boss, see you around."

After the taxi had left his line of sight, Tony pulled his trusty Johnson LMG. Double checking the familiar weapon, he stormed towards the nondescript warehouse. The message had been cryptic to say the least; if the people who had his daughter were there he was going to kill them…slowly.

Roaring in rage, Tony kicked the door in LMG at the ready. To his surprise there was no malicious crime boss surrounded by hulking cronies, no armor plated freaks ready to ruin his life once again. There were four people standing around a lit table. The one nearest him was a small man with a pinched face and sad demeanor. Another was a tiny young woman with a knowing smirk and mischievous eyes.

Standing on the far side of the table was a fairly tall man with piercing brown eyes, Tony might never have met him but he could recognize a fellow soldier when he saw one. As the unfamiliar man crossed his arms, Tony caught a glimpse of some kind of tattoo on his wrists.

The final person was an older woman with intelligent, infinitely sad eyes. She was the first to speak, breaking the tense situation. "That weapon won't be necessary Mr. Gibbs. My name is Brigid Tenenbaum and I can help you save your daughter."


	20. Down the Rabbit Hole

This couldn't be real…it wasn't…it wasn't possible. The first group had submerged ten minutes ago, the strange metal bubble whisking them away into the unknown. Tony Gibbs had seen many shocking things in the war, until now he had thought the world had no more surprises for him…clearly he was wrong.

The talk of a fallen underwater utopia, of a wonder drug that bent the human genome to its will, of people with abilities no human should have, of the monsters they inevitably devolved into, it had been too much. They were crazy they had to be. Tony had been convinced of that, at least until the tall grimfaced man had conjured a flame over his thumb and, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, lit a cigarette with it.

And now here he was, standing in the grandiose entrance chamber of a lighthouse, waiting for some metal bubble to return to whisk him away into…wonderland. To his surprise he recognized the unfamiliar emotion squirming around his stomach, unease, he was nervous. Well fuck…

"You alright soldier? Last thing I need is the bad ass soldier type having a psychotic break down on me." Ah yes…Sandy. Casting his gaze towards the young woman staring at him eyebrow raised, Tony paused to evaluate his…ally. A petite young woman with a mane of dirty blond hair and tan skin, the young Australian had been very forthcoming about her motives, more so then anyone else in the ragtag group he found himself acquainted with. Her parents had died when she was young apparently She and her sister had found themselves homeless and she had been forced to look out for the both of them. They had lived together on the streets for several years, fairly successfully from the sound of it. Until three months ago that is, whatever had taking his daughter had taken her sister as well.

From what he had managed to glean from the other group members they had all lost someone be it a family member or close friend to that creature, save for the older German woman, Tennembaum, and Jack her…he didn't know what he was to her.

Sandy had noticed his lack of response. "Earth to ageing soldier man, are you okay?"

"I'm fine kid, just trying to contemplate what I should be expecting down there." He responded with a role of his eyes. Her sarcastic and flippant manner obviously was just her way of coping; he'd seen soldiers with similar mannerisms, when things got too bad for their sarcastic shield to take they…broke he'd have to keep an eye on her. Despite her potentially dangerous attitude towards the situation Tony found himself reluctantly impressed, she was stronger then she looked and quite resourceful from the sound of it.

"I-I can't believe this is r-real. G-god I wish this was a d-dream, that I could j-just wake up." Harper was considerably less impressive then the quirky adolescent, a small man with a sad, pinched face that always seemed nervous about one thing or another. He struck Tony as a coward someone who the moment the screws got too tight would cut and run, abandoning anyone relying on him to their fates. And on top of all that his stutter was irritating; Tony resigned himself to dislike the small man.

"This is real, come to terms with that or go home. I won't let you endanger the rest of us by cracking under pressure when we need you!"

"W-what makes you think I-I'd be the one to c-crack? My d-daughter's life is on the li-line, and my wi-wife needs me to d-do this! I'm not going anywhere!" How anyone could stand that man enough to sleep with him, let alone marry him Tony would never know. He just seemed so…whiny.

Seemingly attempting to ease the tension, Sandy cut in. "Relax Harper, Jack's an 'expert' on this type of stuff apparently. By the time we get down there the job'll be done."

"I-I don't t-trust that man. Why is he so q-quiet? I d-don't th-think I've heard him talk once!"

Before Tony could retort there was a loud splash as the strange metal contraption surfaced for a second time. With a creak of rusty metal hinges, the door to the submersible swung slowly open. It looked like it was now or never. Moving towards the vehicle Tony shook his head with a sigh. "Well…down the rabbit hole and all that."

()

This was without doubt the most awkward meal David had ever had. To his right at the head of the table sat the Bishop, proudly overlooking his "Family". Across from him sat Thompson, the doctor animatedly talking with Buzz. The unpleasant rodentesque Splicer occasionally sent David a hostile glare but for the most part left him alone. To the hostile Splicer's right sat Andrea, seemingly quite upset that her "quality time" with David had been interrupted.

To David's left sat Samantha, she looked…nothing like the armor plated killer he was used to seeing. Her strikingly red hair was down, gently brushing her bare shoulders. The light blue coloring of the dress contrasted vibrantly with her bright hair and glowing eyes. As if sensing his curious gaze she turned towards him, eyebrow rising inquisitively.

"Are you sure you've always had red hair?"

()

Theta felt her face flush as she looked down at her lap. Her hair had always been red; it hadn't been that dirty…had it? She hadn't looked that bad…had she? "I didn't mean to upset you."

Unsure how to react to the human's attempts to reassure her, Theta looked up at him from behind the curtain of hair obscuring her face. "That dress is very…nice."

Theta turned fully to the slightly flustered human with a happy hum. She didn't understand why he had given her the dress, not that she was complaining. The dress was incredible! The silk felt so nice against her skin, she couldn't help squirming in place slightly relishing in the texture of the amazing fabric.

"I take it you like the dress?" Smiling excitedly she nodded. Did he realize how amazing it was? Surely he had to; he got it for her after all! Quicker then the human could react Theta's gloved hand shot out and brushed against his neck.

To her surprise and concern, instead of smiling and acknowledging the quality of the silk garment David stiffened from surprise or pain. "What…what was that?"

Shaking her head with a surprised snort, Theta gestured around with her gloved hand. What did he think she was doing? "O-oh, yeah of course. That silk's really…great."

Theta smiled broadly at the generous human, she still didn't understand why he had given her that wonderful dress…she didn't deserve it. She was distracted from her pondering by David sheepishly clearing his throat. "You know, I've always thought red hair was-"

"Tonight my family!" Standing abruptly the Bishop raised his hands as he addressed his followers.

"Tonight we accept the Guardian and the Vassal of Ascension into our midst!" What? No! She didn't know what David thought about her hair!

"While it saddens me that the Vassal was too tired to attend tonight I am honored to welcome the surfacer David Kristoff to our humble little town." Theta rested her head on a hand with a pout, why did the stupid monster have to choose that specific time to start his rant?

"Tonight we feast alongside these new faces so they can be welcomed amongst us as adoptive members of our family." Theta turned to David, hoping to somehow catch his attention. Unfortunately he was too busy watching the Bishop spout his idiotic speech.

"Bring out the food!"

()

The food the Splicers provided was surprisingly good, and the entire atmosphere was shockingly friendly and welcoming. Even Biff with his normal penchant for antagonizing David was acting almost friendly, well he was ignoring David but that was enough for him.

All illusions of Samantha somehow being someone other then the armor plated protector he was familiar with ended the second he saw her start to eat. She had a severe lack of etiquette when it came to eating, a fact he was already well acquainted with. At least she took her gloves off before she started.

"How has the feast been so far?"

Turning to the Bishop David smiled politely. "Very good, best food I've had in weeks." The fact that the only food he'd had in the past weeks was the gruel they served on the ship and whatever he could scrounge up in Rapture wasn't important.

Face showing the perfect amount of interest and aloofness the Bishop replied. "I am glad to hear that, I hope Haven's hospitality has not been lost to you."

David responded with a smile, ignoring Samantha's frustrated growl. "It hasn't. You have no idea how much of a relief it's been to be able to relax, even if it isn't for long."

Smiling toothily the Bishop nodded before he revealed the string attached to his hospitality. "Now while it is our honor to help the Vassal and her Guardian, we find ourselves needing you to do a task for us before we give you the bathysphere you need."

David eyed the Splicer warily for a moment before responding, well aware of Samantha's low growling in the background. "What exactly do you need us to do?"

"While we are not the rabid animals you have often found yourself faced with we are still Splicers, we still need Adam." Casting an affectionate fatherly gaze around at the assembled Splicers the Bishop continued, seemingly ignorant of Samantha's rumbling growl. "Thompson has been organizing an expedition to gather a large amount for our people; he claims that he knows the location of a stockpile."

Thompson took that as an excuse to join the conversation. "It isn't particularly far, less then a day away. I was an assistant in the protector program and often worked closely with Dr. Yi Suchong." Upon hearing that name Samantha stiffened noticeably. "His apartment had an attached lab, only a select few had access to that area I was among them."

David could already tell where this was going, "And this Suchong had Adam?"

With a shark like grin, the Bishop leaned forward, "According to Thompson that is exactly what he had."

()

"Look Sam, I don't like this any more then you…but at this point what choice do we have? We need a bathysphere and they have one. Like it or not we need their help." Why did he have to be so reasonable? She was angry damn it! Why couldn't he be angry too?

Growling in frustration Theta sat on David's bed, head in her hands. Why couldn't one thing go the way she wanted? Was one thing really too much to ask?

A tentative hand placed itself comfortingly on her shoulder, "It'll be okay, I mean what's the worst that could happen? They betray us and you murder them in new and inventive ways?"

Theta could only respond with a piercing glare, he didn't understand, couldn't understand, _wouldn't_ understand. She didn't want to go back…_there_.

Back to where she had been imprisoned for longer then she liked to think about…

Where she had sat alone in the dark sobbing in fear for so long…

Where lack of food and drink had nearly killed her, even with her regenerative abilities…

Unbidden her thoughts turned to the boy she had seen, the boy who had replaced her in the room, his soulless, vacant, _hungry_ eyes, the brief joy that had flashed across his face as he sunk his teeth into her flesh. Was he still there? Still entombed in that horrible room?

He had been like her hadn't he? He wouldn't die of starvation or thirst? It had been…eight years? Eight years since she had been released from the room…what was he now? She didn't know how long she had been trapped there, but it certainly hadn't been anywhere near that length of time. What would he be like if he got out? What would _she _have been like if she'd stayed in there for that long? The thought scared her, more then she liked to admit.

Her thoughts were pulled back to the present by a familiar voice, "Are you okay? You seem like you're upset. It…uhm it isn't just working with the Splicers is it?"

Theta nodded, struggling to hold back tears. "Is it the place we're going?" She couldn't go back there! Hugging herself tightly, Theta nodded again turning her face away from David as it flushed in shame.

What must he think of her? Did he see her as a coward, a melodramatic fool? A frustrated whimper slipped past her lips, he didn't understand and her inability to articulate her thoughts frustrated her more then she had ever thought possible. Before, her inability to talk hadn't bothered her, her sisters always understood her intuitively and no one else mattered enough for her to care. Now was a different matter, David was…confusing for lack of a better word. He was frustratingly insistent on his attempts to talk with her and despite his stubborn and overly intrusive attempts at bonding she felt a certain…fondness for the quirky human.

For the first time in years, Theta wanted to talk. She wanted to explain that she wasn't a coward, that the place they were going was hell, that she refused to return there when there was a chance she might never leave. She wanted to speak, she could even remember how, but somewhere between her brain and her mouth her voice was twisted and only a strangled croak emerged.

The familiar feeling of savage anger reared its ugly head, unable to take her frustration out on her voice she had to resist the urge to disembowel the root of the problem...the irritating human no doubt looking down on her in scorn.

The bed shifted slightly as David sat next to her, to her surprise a tentative arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Whatever's going on, whatever upset you, its okay. Hell you've been in this dystopia for a lot longer then me. I can guarantee you if I had to spend more then a day or two alone here I would be dead, or gibbering in a corner somewhere."

Was he trying to comfort her? The anger and frustration she had been feeling rapidly receded. Tentatively she glanced towards the baffling human, seeing only concern in his eyes. She didn't want him to think poorly of her, to her frustration and shame she felt a tear slide down her cheek. The arm around her shoulders tightened slightly before David continued. "You are a much stronger person then me."

An unfamiliar emotion surged through Theta, after a moments thought she was able to recognize it…gratitude.

()

David studied his silent companion warily; she didn't look like she was going to rip his arm out of its socket, that was probably a good sign. Still shyly facing away from him his companion let loose a teary sniff. "If you really don't want to go I won't force you. I am going with them though; I need to show the Splicers that we are willing to cooperate. We need their help if we are ever going to leave."

Standing he stretched briefly, his back cracking satisfactorily. Before he could leave to prepare for the mission however, a hand caught his wrist. Samantha released his arm and stood slowly turning to face him. Mentally he slapped himself for his brief jolt of surprise; he knew she was abnormally tall. Why was he still surprised she was taller then him?

For several seconds they stood there in an awkward silence, both seemingly unsure of what to do. After several moments, when no action was taken on either side, David turned to leave. He was halted when he found himself encompassed in the grateful arms of his friend; Samantha had him in an uncomfortably tight hug.

To his surprise David could feel her trembling, could feel the soft sobs wracking her frame. Whatever was upsetting her was more serious then he had thought. Trying to be as comforting as possible he wrapped his arms around his distraught friend, slowly rubbing what he hoped were comforting circles on her back.

()

Tony handled the field of bodies that greeted them on arrival to Rapture better then his companions. Sandy was doubled over with tears in her eyes, desperately dry heaving having already emptied her stomach's contents into the water around the bathysphere. Harper had reacted with considerably less self control then Sandy. Upon seeing the bodies he had loosed a high pitched scream, and taken off at a dead run. He promptly tripped, loosed a less then masculine scream, and face planted in the rancid sludge that oozed from the ruptured stomach of one of the many corpses.

Ignoring the disgusted screams and dry heaves coming from the pathetic excuse for a human being before him, Tony turned and walked to Sandy. "You alright kid?"

Loosing a tearful laugh, Sandy deflected his concern. "I'm f-fine solder man. It's just…just the smell."

Once again checking his LMG Tony carefully began to maneuver his way through the bodies. "Stick close to me, step where I step."

"Oh G-urk oh God! It's in my mouth!" Even over Harpers pitiful blubbering he could hear Sandy's trembling breath.

As if she could sense that he was aware of her near panic, Sandy did what came naturally. "God this smell is horrible! It reminds me of my Dad's cooking. You know that bastard gave me food poisoning thirteen times? **Thirteen! **And even after all that he still insisted on cooking!"

"Good G-god, it's everywhere!" The sound of someone emptying their stomach echoed around the large room as Harper's body rejected his last meal.

Continuing to stubbornly ignore Harper's ineptitude, even as they moved past him; Tony put an end to Sandy's attempted joviality. "I got used to the smell of dead bodies a long time ago…that's probably not a good thing. Be glad the smell still disgusts you, I'd be concerned of it didn't."

"Oh…okay." Tony couldn't help but smirk slightly, it appeared he'd succeeded.

After another minute he finally cleared the field of carnage, he hadn't failed to notice that some of the bodies were horribly malformed, or that others showed signs of being cannibalized.

As Sandy cleared the field behind him, Tony saw the familiar form of Jack walking towards them. Nudging Sandy with an elbow, he raised an arm in greeting.

Calm brown eyes sweeping over the two of them Jack rested the wrench he was carrying on his shoulder. Eyebrow raised slightly he greeted the strange duo in a calm quite voice. "I see you made it" He paused. "Where's the other one? Harvey?"

Unable to resist a slightly cruel smirk, Tony gestured behind them. "He's playing with his new friends."

Before Jack could respond there was a horrible squelching noise followed immediately by a thunk. It appeared Harper had managed to regain his footing only to slip once again, pulping the unfortunate body considerably. Openly sobbing by this point he yelled. "W-why w-was there a b-boot in there?" Hurling a sodden leather boot away he slowly clambered to his feet. "Why th-urk why isn't a-anyone helping m-me!"

Smirk now a full blown grin Tony turned back to Jack. "Well…shall we leave?"

* * *

><p><em>I changed the rating to teen. There will be gore, language, and some sexual themes later but I'm not planning on writting anything too M. If I cross that line at any point just tell me and I'll change the rating back to M.<em>

_Anyways I'm once again sorry for the wait, life's been hell. I'll do my best to see it doesn't happen again._

_As always reviews are greatly appreciated._


	21. Meet the Locals

Samantha had cried for what seemed like hours, though in reality it had been much shorter. If he was completely honest with himself David hadn't known how to react. Crying women were hardly his forte, ones that could kill him a hundred different ways in under a second much less so. In the end it hadn't really mattered, when she had finished she had stood abruptly, smiled sheepishly, and left the room like death itself was after her.

David removed himself from his pensive reminiscing with a brief shake of his head. Blizz, Thompson, and several other Splicers were arrayed around him, all readying weapons, armor, eve hypos, first aid kits, and whatever other essentials they deemed necessary. Dom, the large brutish Splicer Samantha had stolen food from, seemed to have a warped sense of necessity and had grabbed several bags of potato chips to bring along for the mission.

Thompson ambled over to the pensive human, raising an eyebrow in question. "Is the protector coming?"

"I don't think so, she uh…seems to fear the area we're heading to."

An incredulous look flashed across the doctor's face. "She fears it? Really? Protectors don't feel fear."

David had to suppress the urge to snap at the frustratingly close-minded Splicer, he didn't have time to start this argument again. "Let's just get going, I want to get this over with as quickly as possible."

With a slight sigh, Thompson nodded and motioned for the other Splicers to follow. As they headed for the elevator David couldn't help but look down the road, hoping for a sight of his absentee friend. He was disappointed; fighting down the surge of bitterness at that realization he followed the Splicers. So much for repaying his kindness from the night before…

()

Tony couldn't help but feel slightly bad for Harper, the man was a civilian after all. Leaving him to wallow in the putrefied remains of some poor woman had been…_slightly_ excessive. Eventually though, Harper had found a burst water pipe and used it to remove the worst of the gunk. It was good timing too; the smell was becoming rather oppressive.

Tenenbaum's little coalition had gathered in the Rapture Welcoming Center. A small room off of the main entrance area, it was filled with various brochures and faded posters advertising various points of interest in the fallen city. Tony couldn't help smirking in amusement; once this was all over he'd be sure to view all of Rapture's "wonders" Preferably with some military grade explosives.

Tenenbaum instantly gained the groups attention with a brief clearing of her throat. "As you can all see, Rapture is falling apart. If we are to have any chance of saving the children taken here, and righting this wrong, we must act quickly."

Gesturing for Jack to step forward, she continued. "Jack has the most experience with Splicers and Rapture's other abominations you would all do well to follow his lead."

Obviously understanding his cue, Jack began to speak. "I know you have all heard this before, but I'll say it again. Splicers are insane, unfortunately there is no way to tell how insane until you come face to face with them. Most are going to be hostile on sight. They are faster then you, they are stronger then you and they know the area better then you. If you run it is almost certain that they _will_ catch you."

Tony didn't fail to notice Harper's trembling. "We do have an advantage though; they are reckless and easily tricked. Simple ambushes will work, again, and again, and again. They don't learn. While there is the occasional somewhat cunning Splicer, which might not run headlong into a trap, the majority will."

For the twelfth time since his arrival in the hellish city, Tony checked his LMG to make sure it was in working order. For the twelfth time his LMG was in perfect condition. "The biggest thing to remember though is that I haven't been here in almost eight years. The Splicers _will_ have changed so be ready for anything."

A slightly trembling hand was raised, causing Tony to roll his eyes in disgust. "H-how are we going to help these little girls?"

Tenenbaum smiled slightly at Harper's tentative question. "I'm glad you remember why we're here."

()

A vein was pulsing in Theta's forehead, she was sure of it. If it was physically possible she was sure that there would have been steam shooting from her ears. Though now that she thought about it, this was Rapture…

"I'm sorry Guardian; I don't know where Presley is." Shrieking in frustration, Theta turned and began sprinting away from the idiotic monster. It had taken at least five minutes of signing to get it to realize she had been looking for her helmet. She needed her helmet! She couldn't help David without it…

If one idiotic monster in this hell hole would know where her helmet was it would be the leader.

()

Sandy stalked as silently as she could behind the rest of the group. She'd been assigned to the rear guard, Tony and Jack as the "heavy hitters" were taking point. They had yet to see a sign of anyone in the halls of the dead city. Bodies were a surprisingly uncommon sight, either they had been moved or…eaten.

Her gun refused to stand still, something must be wrong with the damn thing. It certainly wasn't her, she certainly wasn't trembling, barely resisting the urge to turn tail and run. She was twenty one damn it! She should be out on the town with some girlfriends or spending time with a special someone. If there was any fairness in life she would have been doing just that. After her parents had passed she'd taken care of little Ann as best she could. She knew she wasn't exactly the best person for a little girl to live with but she was her sister! She hadn't been about to let someone take her only family away from her.

She had cared for her sister for almost seven years! She'd stolen when she'd needed to, but she'd never hurt anyone. She'd never thought she'd ever want to, but after that…monster threw her from her sister like she weighed nothing more then a leaf. Sandy knew one thing and one thing only, if she ever had the chance she'd make that fucked up abomination pay for hurting her sister!

She had been too weak to realize the threat the creature posed, too stupid to act fast enough to save her weaker sibling, too distracted by her own petty problems to hear the creature before it could-her heart jumped into her throat as a boil covered arm wrapped around her throat.

"Such a sweet little thing." The monster behind her inhaled deeply. "So delicate, so soft, so sweet smelling." As she opened her mouth something sharp pressed up against her vulnerable throat. "Ah ah ah…so much as moan and I'll bleed you like a stuck pig."

The sharp object against her throat pressed harder as the creature began to pull her further away from her allies. "Shhhhh…no need to get too excited. At least not yet." Something wet and covered in small tumor like growths ran across her cheek; with a shiver of horror and disgust she realized it was its tongue. "So sweet…you taste almost as good as you smell."

"One as young as yourself is most rare!" The scent of the creature's breath almost caused her to vomit on the spot. "Tell me, where _have_ you been hiding?" She was unable to prevent a whimper as a malformed clawed hand groped her chest. Her reaction provoked a cruel chuckle from the abomination. "You react with such _fear_! Tell me, this isn't your first time is it?"

Before she could even think of responding the creature holding her spun her around and shoved her into a side room and closed the door. Terrified beyond belief Sandy turned over from her position on the floor and looked at her attacker.

He was hideous but much more human then she had imagined, somehow that just made him worse. His two beady black eyes bored into hers with an insane intensity and glee. His mouth was horribly disfigured, it looked as if at some point his left cheek had been slit open but instead of healing his body had just extended his mouth to encompass the damaged tissue. The result was a large slightly curved gash that extended from the left side of his mouth making it look as if he was always smirking and revealing blackened teeth. Almost all of the skin on his exposed arms was covered in scores of boils and lesions, as she watched in horror one burst releasing an off white sludge that oozed slowly down his forearm.

Lower on his arm was his least human feature, protruding from a scabby slit just below the palm of his right hand was a long spur of bone ending in a sharp point. Noticing her attention on its unnatural weapon, the creature's freakish smirk widened before with a slight squelching noise the blade retracted into the monster's arm.

Perhaps his most disturbing trait was his face. When Sandy paused to look past the hideously deformed mouth she realized the skin of his face was fairly normal, there were no boils or growths. Overall his face was normal, even handsome. The fact that at some point this thing had been a normal good looking person somehow only made the situation worse to her.

The monster fell atop her, warped hands tearing at her shirt. "N-no! Get off of me!"

The abomination's twisted hand grabbed her face, squeezing her cheeks. "I really would recommend staying quiet. It doesn't matter if you're alive or dead to me; I'm going to…_enjoy_ myself either way." Sandy trembled beneath the crazed monster, desperately blinking back tears.

The monster paused, sick smile spreading further. "Awww…your friends are more observant then I gave them credit for." Its hand caressed her face; she flinched in sudden pain as the creature's blade extended slightly cutting into her cheek. The beast's cancerous tongue lapped over the cut. "You taste so sweet, so clean. You aren't from around here…are you?"

Before Sandy could respond the door behind the beast slid open. There was a pregnant pause as the two beings in the room froze and whoever was at the door took in the situation. The beast on top of her smiled, gave her a cheery wink, and dove at the person in the doorway…strait into the hail of bullets sent in response.

The wet thump the monster's body made as it hit the ground was almost as comforting as Tony's voice. "You alright kid?"

()

The monster leader's face was turning purple, as amusing as that was to her Theta really did need it to talk. With a disgusted huff she released the monster's throat and dropped it to the floor. "I…apologize for the wait Guardian." To her pleasure the monster's normally charismatic voice was raspy and dry. "Presley is right there." What?

Spinning around Theta saw the short soot covered monster standing sheepishly behind her, her repaired helmet held in its hand. The monster cleared its throat briefly before talking; its voice was raspy beyond belief and broken up by ragged inhalations. "You have my sincere apologies Guardian; I didn't know where to find you."

In a flash she was before the sooty monster, snatching her helmet from its grimy hands. Showing her attachment to it, she carefully inspected it for any mistreatment. After several seconds she found, much to her relief, that her helmet was as good as new.

Theta secured her helmet in place and turned to go, shoving the sooty monster off of its feet for good measure. It had been late after all…

()

David hadn't seen a Splicer for over an hour, apart from the Splicers he was "friends" with that is. Their journey had been uneventful for the most part, except for Bennie's occasional thinly veiled threat that was.

As if he could sense his thoughts, the evil rodentesque Splicer ambled over. "You know, I just realized something."

Jumping at the chance to alleviate some of his boredom, David grinned at the Splicer. "Oh! What is it? Did you have your first feeling?"

A predatory grin spread across the Splicer's face. "Well since your friend isn't here to protect her pet something could happen…"

Rolling his eyes, David glared at the thoroughly unpleasant individual. "Accidents and all that, right?"

With a chuckle, the Splicer nodded while fingering his knife. "Something like that yeah. I'd be careful if I were you. Who knows what could happen."

Unable to resist the urge to further antagonize the short tempered entity David responded. "Oh believe me Boris; your attempts at intimidation have worked! I'm quaking in my nighty!"

Rage flashed across the Splicer's face. "That's it you little shit! My name is BANES!"

Raising his knife the Splicer started towards David…only to be interrupted by Thompson's calm voice. "We're here."

()

The power was off, meaning the lights were off, meaning David could only see a foot in front of his face, meaning for all he knew he could be about to walk into a Big Daddy. Wow he _really_ missed Sam, if she were here at least she would have had a hand on his shoulder or something making sure he didn't walk into a wall.

Apparently the Splicers weren't oblivious to David's stumbling in the dark. "Keep up you worthless piece of shit or I'll leave you behind."

"Charming as always Brent, charming as always." A frustrated hiss was the only response.

Thompson looking to ease the tension handed David a recently pilfered flashlight. "Here David, this should help."

With a nervous nod of his head, David grabbed the offered light source revealing a dank hallway. He couldn't help but feel like he was doing something wrong, like he was desecrating a tomb. Shoving aside the feeling of treading where he didn't belong David took point, flashlight piercing the darkness.

()

Theta sighed in impatience; Amanda might just be the slowest being she had ever met. She had insisted on "readying up" and had sequestered herself in the bathroom, most likely playing with the makeup the monsters had supplied.

Theta shook her head with a sigh, something was bothering her, something was wrong and she couldn't put her finger on it. She closed her eyes tuning out her weakest sense and focusing on the others. Voices, some talking some screaming, gears grinding against each other, cleavers carving into flesh, hammers striking metal. Nothing out of the ordinary, Theta switched to a different sense. Sweat, blood, anger, sex, food, vomit, lust, refuse, meat, fear, Adam….

Adam…

Adam…

Theta switched to her last sense, Adam…Adam was everywhere. It was strongest in her sister; she could clearly sense her position as she happily applied makeup to her face. The monsters were…hazier…blurred. They were everywhere and the majority of them were too blurred for her to make sense of them. Some that were nearer to her were cleaner; she could barely discern one walking down the hallway towards its apartment. Adam permeated even the walls allowing her to barely see the outline of the various rooms and hallways of the building she resided in.

Everything seemed to be normal but still something was off... It frustrated her something was different and she just couldn't seem to see it. Theta expanded her search, stretching herself to the limit. The city seemed normal she could clearly see its Adam stores, nearly depleted. Monsters where spread throughout the city, ambling about their business and only occasionally trying to murder each other.

Theta punched her leg in frustration, she couldn't…_there!_ In the underwater cavern that surrounded the city, there was something there…near the bottom of the cavern was a spot of brightness…a cluster of Adam. It pulsed vibrantly, triggering other lights to spring into existence, more Adam to awaken.

Theta stood abruptly, eyes snapping open she walked to window of her apartment. She had wondered why they had a window that opened onto a pitch black cavern, there wasn't anything to see. But as she peered cautiously into the black she realized the true purpose of the windows, to allow what ever lurked in that cavern to see them not the other way around.

With renewed purpose, Theta opened the bathroom door and snatched her sister off the ground. Placing Amanda in her pack she sprinted towards her human friend, pushing aside the thought of the hundreds of human sized creatures that were awakening beneath her feet.

* * *

><p><em>I was planning on having this go on into the exploration of Suchong's laboratory but it was getting too long. Rest assured Suchong's little house of horrors is up next.<em>


	22. Little House of Horrors

Its body floated serenely inside the green liquid filled container, rotating slowly in place. Horribly twisted limbs bent grotesquely it thrashed halfheartedly; bubbles erupted from its lipless mouth as it screamed in agony. Skinless fingers scrabbled at the boundaries of its container leaving bloody trails along the glass. Its other arm, bound to its chest by a thin mucus like film, struggled as much as it could as the heinous being protested its existence. Pain tore through its limited awareness once again as its exposed vertebrae impacted the far side of the tank that was its world. The sudden impact caused a large boil to rupture on its back, oozing a thick sludge that either congealed along the edge of the barrier or dissolved and became a part of the filth that already comprised the entirety of its existence.

The tank vibrated giving the entity another surge of agony. A rhythmic crash tore through the exposed bones of the abomination's ears. Two eyes slowly opened gazing blearily at the edges of its world. One eye had a huge pupil surrounded by a thin circle of electric blue; the other was smaller, not fully developed, entirely white and blind. Meaningless shapes warped before its working eye, a black hole opened twisting and warping as more horrible vibrations gave the creature twinges of unbearable agony.

"What the fuck is that god awful thing?"

More shapes morphed along with the original ones, a different black hole began morphing and twisting as horrid vibrations pained it.

"One of Suchong's earlier experiments. Injecting Adam into an infant before birth, it was a…failure."

()

David stared in horror at the infant sized creature that writhed inside the jar. "H-how could anyone do this?"

Thompson shook his head sadly. "Suchong was a sick man even before Rapture went to hell. Unlike most, he was unaffected by the war. He simply changed clients and what little regulations he had to follow disappeared."

Biff paused in his incessant tapping of the creature's jar to smirk at the disturbed human. "You really think this is the worst this place has to offer? You're more naive then I thought."

"There!" With a triumphant laugh Dom, the large Splicer with a potato chip obsession, activated the lights of the area. "_Hoooollllly shit!_" Tanks lined the walls, some smaller then the one housing the warped infant others large enough to house a full grown human, all of them were occupied. The assorted experiments reacted to the sudden light with pain, thrashing silently inside there tanks, heinously deformed mouths opened in silent screams, all except for a few who floated unmoving conspicuously still inside their tanks.

"That's a lot of fucked up people!" Dom wandered further into the room, tapping occasionally upon the glass of the tanks. Obviously curious he turned to Thompson. "You think they can understand us?"

Looking almost as shaken as David, Thompson shook his head. "N-no…these were all infants or children. No one ever taught them how to speak, or the understanding of words." A skinless tentacled abomination bashed its skeletal head against the glass repeatedly, smearing blood and fragments of skull across the surface. "Th-they never socialized with humans…or even each other. These poor creatures aren't even human anymore."

"I…I wonder if Sam knew about all this…maybe this was why she didn't want to come." David slowly stumbled further into the room, unable to look away from the horrid creatures. He jumped in shock as a creature slammed into the wall of its tank; its huge circular mouth was plastered to the glass revealing countless misshapen teeth and multiple barbed tongues. "Jesus…how could anyone do this?"

A gunshot destroyed the tense atmosphere as Billy shot the glass of one of the containers. The bloated, thrashing, squealing creature was swept into the middle of the room. Its horrible, unnatural vocalizations echoed in the confined space as it flailed spasmodically on the floor. It was quickly silenced by Billy's follow up shot. "Thing was fat like a pig, only makes sense it squealed like one." He chuckled. "Which one should I fuck up next?"

Choosing his target, a small toddler sized creature with no face just blank featureless skin, Barney grinned in excitement. "ENOUGH!" With a shocking amount of strength, Thompson pinned Barnum against the wall. Voice a dangerous hiss he continued. "These people are _victims_! If I so much as see you tap on the glass of one of their enclosures again I'll skin you alive." Smiling sickly, Thompson continued. "Did you know you can skin a man alive and as long as you avoid the wrists, back of the knees, throat, and genitals they won't bleed out for_ hours_." He released Borus, sick smile still splitting his face in two. "Just keep that in mind."

"Y-yeah, of course."

()

Theta tore through the dank streets and alleys of her city. She knew her destination; it had a permanent place in her nightmares. As much as it pained her to think of it she knew David would need her and she wouldn't let him down.

Telekinetically blowing a door off its hinges Theta ignored the surprised yells of the monsters on the other side. The room she entered had once been a ballroom and was filled to the brim with monsters. The monsters jumped to attention, raising their weapons. Theta disappeared…reappearing at the far end of the room with a puff of smoke she blasted that door off its hinges and continued her flight towards her friend. The monsters surprised and furious yells left in her wake.

()

"This is it." Tenenbaum paused surveying the locked door before her. "Give me a moment to open it."

Tony couldn't help but shake his head in disapproval, already their little group looked like it was about to fall apart. Sandy had been silent since the monster had abducted her, her usual joking demeanor unnervingly absent. She was obviously on edge, jumping at the slightest noises finger always on the trigger of her weapon. Harper was trembling, Sandy's abduction had obviously scared him and he was almost as on edge as Sandy. Tenenbaum was pale and shaking, the woman obviously in poor health. Jack was the only member of the team who seemed to be unfazed by the situation, he had yet to show any sign of nerves or fear, and he just calmly almost robotically covered the group. If it wasn't for the occasional concerned glance he sent Tenenbaum Tony would have thought the man was a robot.

The hydraulic door opened with a hiss revealing a tidy lab area seemingly untouched by the other inhabitants of the fallen city. "This is one of my safe houses; they are all connected by tunnels that can be sealed in the case one of them is found by our enemies." She gestured towards a small hallway. "Down there are five rooms each equipped with two beds. You can set yourselves up however you like." Pointing towards a kitchenette equipped with a stove, fridge, and a sink, she continued. "I stocked nonperishable food in the cupboards over the sink, they will last for a while but we will need to go looking for supplies eventually. For know we have nothing left to do but wait for my contact to get in touch. We can't proceed without a large amount of Adam."

Tony had to admit he was impressed with Tenenbaum's preparedness; she had obviously been planning this for a long time. Allowing his guard to drop for the first time since he'd entered the city, he headed for one of the bedrooms. A bit of sleep would do hi good.

()

Cautiously David and Thompson entered the control room of the complex, followed almost immediately by the other Splicers. Control stations idled in place, all indicator lights off. On the large screen above the primary consol one word flashed repeatedly.

LOCKDOWN

"Well strangest thing but I have a hunch the systems have been locked down."

Bernard sent David an irritated glare and a verbal barb in response to his irreverent comment. "Shut the fuck up dipshit."

Thompson pushed a button on the primary control panel and a metal panel retracted revealing a window that looked into the room beyond. Upon seeing the contents of the room all of the Splicers gasped. The room the window showed was large easily twenty by thirty. It was filled with orderly shelves spaced at even intervals throughout the room, crammed onto every shelf were vials filled with a familiar reddish liquid. Inside the room was more Adam then anyone there had ever seen.

"Th-thompson…"

The doctor turned to Biff, trembling slightly. "Y-yes"

"Find a way to end the lockdown."

()

Every Splicer was on edge, passing back and forth bundles of nervous energy. After what seemed an eternity Thompson clapped his hands together energetically. "I've got it!" Slowly, with many creates and mechanical sputters the complex came to life, lights activated throughout its walls, every door in the complex unlocked, vents unsealed and began circulating air with the rest of the city for the first time in years.

Eagerly the Splicers rushed the door, all beside themselves to get inside. Only David saw the single flashing red light, and the label assigned to it, intruder alert. "Stop!" The Splicers froze in place frustratedly gazing at the human trying to interfere.

Barely able to control his shaking, Thompson looked exasperatedly at the clearly stupid human. "What is it David?"

Uncomfortably familiar with the knowledge he was alone with the Splicers David pointed sheepishly to the light. "The intruder alert is active."

With a sigh, Thompson moved to inspect the alarm. After a moment he glared halfheartedly at David. "This is the alarm for the main entrance not the Adam room. It's probably still going from our leaving it open."

David felt a chill run down his spine. "But we didn't leave it open…"

()

Theta felt the blood run cold in her veins. She could smell Adam, more Adam then she had ever in her short life. Already she could hear the various monsters reacting to the smell, all gaining a twisted sense of unity as they moved towards the source.

Theta ran faster then she had ever before, she knew where the smell was coming from and she wouldn't allow David to come to harm due to her cowardice. He was her friend, he was important to her, and she would die before she let the monsters get him.

()

The first Splicer came tearing down the hallway laughing insanely. He was knocked off his feet within a second, almost torn asunder by the hail of bullets. Bengy laughed harshly. "That's one!"

Thompson gave him a stern glare before focusing his eyes back down the hallway. "Focus, we can gloat when we're long gone."

"Whatever fucking pansy."

Another Splicer came sprinting towards the door, he was frozen by Thompson and promptly shattered by Dom's meaty fist. David was unable to calm his nerves, the hallway echoed with crazed laughter, deranged screams, and the sound of hundreds of feet sprinting towards them.

A Splicer sprinted around the corner, followed by another and another. They were all killed quickly but David didn't fail to notice that they had gotten closer then the others. The hallway was beginning to shake with the combined force of the hundreds crazed Splicers, David could barely resist the urge to turn tail and run.

Without warning the horde appeared, dozens of Splicers running full tilt towards the defenders packed in so tightly that if they fell they were trampled by their fellows. "Hold here boys! These fuckers aren't getting any of our Adam!" Obviously looking forward to the bloodbath Ben hurled a Molotov cocktail into the oncoming Splicers, their screams rose to an entirely new and horrible octave as their flesh burned. The half a dozen Splicers that were among the defenders laughed uproariously as their neighbors died in agony, burned alive and trampled underfoot.

With a sudden pop a Splicer appeared in their midst, metal plates had been welded to the side of its head and its crazed eyes took in the interior of the room in an instant. "MIIIIIIINE!" The insane individual raised his arms; hands wreathed in flame, and blasted two of the "good" Splicers, who promptly added their agonized screams to the horrible din. Before he could continue he triggered Thompson's surprise, with a motorized groan a turret popped out from a hole in the ground. It deftly spun towards the hostile Splicer belching flames. More screams joined the horrid cacophony.

Thompson couldn't help grinning as he heard the rest of his surprise activating. All along every hallway that made up the complex turrets and security cameras activated, spewing death upon the unfortunate Splicers that filled the halls. The screams rose even louder.

Taking the momentary reprieve the machines bought them, two of David's allies pushed a desk in the way of the door. David joined Brent as he flipped over a couch, crouching behind the cover. "So…what do you think our odds are?"

The Splicer looked at David with a crazed grin. "Hell if I know, but frankly at this point I don't care." His sick grin spread further. "All I know is that these fuckers are going to _hurt_ before they get me."

"R-right…real comforting that…" Already the pained screams were dieing down, replaced once again by the crazed energetic screams of the oncoming horde. "This is going to _suck_!"

The horde surged forth once more, screaming at the top of their lungs the Splicers dove towards their defenses. David jammed the trigger of his machine gun down as far as it could go; at this point aiming wasn't really required.

A woman leapt forward, some how having avoided the hail of death. Before David could react Ben hurled a cleaver through the air. It cut deeply into the deformed woman's head; she stumbled forward landing several feet from the couch. "Cover me!"

David glanced at the rodentesque Splicer in shock. "What? What the hell are you talking about?" Ignoring the baffled human, the Splicer dove over the couch. He hunkered down hands over his head and ran towards the deceased Splicer. Upon reaching the fallen woman he reached down and deftly wrenched the cleaver from her desecrated head.

Bullets sailed over the Splicer's head causing him to duck down. "Beans!" David felt like his teeth were about to shake themselves out of his head from the recoil from his rifle. "I can't feel my hands!"

"Suck it up pansy!" Within seconds the Splicer was back behind his cover, expertly flicking the excess blood from the blade. Not even looking towards the confounded human, he put the cleaver back in its holster and pulled his machine gun out. "I like that knife."

"Uh-huh?"

Biff raised his voice over the horrible din. "I just noticed something boys. Our friends here look a bit parched, what says we help them with that?" The defending Splicers roared their approval and pulled their "gifts" out. "Alright boys, let's quench their thirst!" Six Molotov cocktails spun through the air. The screams rose in volume as the horde expressed its agony.

A lower base roar separated itself from the horde, as a mammoth Splicer turned the corner hefting an airlock's immense door as a shield. Bullets and flames did nothing to the monster's barrier. It laughed with cruel glee as it stormed into their midst casting the shield aside. "Yer all goin to die!"

The monster's torso sized fist crashed into one of the defending Splicers, all that was left as it moved on was a bloody pulp. Laughing with a sick glee it charged towards the only one who came close to its size…Dom. The two behemoths crashed into each other, rolling around in a spinning mass of limbs, curses, and the odd yelp.

Gunfire drew David's attention from the brutes fight; the horde had spilled into the room. Dropping his machine gun, David drew his shotgun desperately firing into the oncoming mass of bodies.

His efforts did little to stem the oncoming tide, a metal pipe swung by a giggling man slammed into his jaw. Dazed he was unprepared for the inanely giggling individual to leap at him, the metal pipe slammed into his ribs as the man jabbered insanely. Desperate for a reprieve David swung his fist at the man's head. He jerked backwards avoiding the blow before catching David's arm in his hands. David could only watch in horror as the monster sunk its teeth into his arm.

The monster jerked suddenly eyes rolling up into the back of its head. Someone tossed the body aside and pulled David to his feet. When his vision finally stopped spinning David was shocked to see Billy standing before him, hacking at the Splicers with his cleaver, teeth bared. "Don't look at me like that dipshit, only person killing you is me! Now grab something and kill these fuckers!"

Unable to think of a reason to object, David grabbed the metal pipe his attacker had dropped and promptly broke the face of a lunging Splicer. "For what it's worth Bindy, I blame you!" The Splicer's only reply was an incredulous snort.

* * *

><p><em>This scene was getting a bit long so I cut it in half. The second half should be up within a day or two.<em>


	23. Release

To say that David hurt would be an understatement, the bite mark on his arm was killing him, there was a good chance his ribs had been broken in the struggle with the insane Splicer, and his gunshot wound had reopened. A Splicer squealed as David's metal pipe caved in the side of its head. He might be hurting but he wasn't going down without a fight.

He found himself back to back with Barney; the crazed Splicer had a cleaver in each hand and was actively insulting the Splicers that he killed. David was somewhat less skilled at killing Splicers in close combat. While the rat faced Splicer moved almost fluidly spinning his blades in a dance of death, David just swung his pipe with all of his might his left arm hanging limply at his side.

Gunshots echoed around the room as Thompson and the remaining "friendly" Splicers were backed into a corner. Though they were greatly outnumbered they didn't relent, still firing into the horde intent on taking as many of the hostile Splicers with them as they could.

More Splicers spilled into the room; many simply ran past the defenders and entered the storage room. Judging from the sound of combat coming from inside, they stopped cooperating soon after entering.

Infighting was beginning to spread amongst the horde as the squabbled over who got the Adam. David was sure that if it wasn't for the Splicers fracturing unity he would have been killed already. A Splicer swung a wooden board with nails sticking out of it at David's head. He ducked the sloppy blow and the nail board found itself imbedded in the face of another Splicer. This quickly caused the entire group surrounding him to go into frenzy, attacking each other with reckless abandon.

David and Benji took the opportunity the infighting presented and began attempting to hack a path through the horde to rejoin their allies. An unexpected noise from the entranceway stopped them in their tracks…a shotgun blast.

The horde quieted briefly, as confused by the new noise as the defenders. In that brief quiet David recognized a sound he had hoped to never hear again, the crazed mindless screaming of a rogue Alpha Series. "Oh come on!"

He didn't know what drew the beast there, if it was the smell of Adam, the sound of combat, or possibly the beast looking for a way to end its life, but at this point David didn't care. Screaming insanely the monster plowed into the room, trampling several Splicers underfoot. A Splicer dove at the beast only to be backhanded away almost contemptuously, the creature advanced further into the room crushing the Splicer it had hit in the process.

Seemingly oblivious to the bullets impacting its armored bulk the beast turned to the nearest Splicer and grabbed it by the head. Before the unfortunate woman could react the beast spun her around and used her as a crude weapon against the other Splicers. David hadn't needed to hear the sharp crack of her neck to know she was dead.

Bellowing a challenge for all, the beast dropped the woman's body and turned towards the only thing returning the challenging roar. Dom shoved his way through the masses beady eyes fixated on the metal behemoth whose authority he was challenging. His fist impacting the beast's helmet gave a resounding gong. Stumbling backwards the beast growled before responding in kind.

Faster then Dom could react the beast lashed out with its left arm, slamming its mammoth fist into Dom's unprotected stomach. As Dom doubled over gasping for air the monster pulled its right hand back. With a roar of victory the beast viciously uppercut Dom's chin, there was a resounding bang and Dom's life ended. In a spray of gore his head exploded outward stunning everyone in the room.

Turning from the headless Splicer and its fall to the ground, David turned his attention to the metal abomination. There was a series of metal clanks. The moment the clanking stopped the beast spun and punched a Splicer in the chest. Again there was a resounding bang and the Splicer collapsed to the ground, its torso blown open.

As the beast spun to attack another Splicer the horde surged forth, screaming in anger they attacked the monster. Unfazed the failed experiment attacked viciously, swinging punishing blows at any Splicer unfortunate enough to find itself in its way. Again there was the sound of metal clanking and again once it stopped the beast shot its right hand forward, fist impacting a Splicer's nose, there was a barely perceptible pause before the Splicer's head exploded with a bang.

David felt a surge of dread as he realized what was happening. The beast had some kind of shotgun attached to its arm, when it punched the shotgun went off utterly destroying its target. Judging from the mechanical noises he heard after the beast attacked, it had some sort of automatic reloader built into its suit.

David pulled out his crossbow; he'd had ridiculous strokes of luck with that thing and was hoping for another miracle. Trying his best to remain calm he aimed and fired at the cracked glass of the beast's visor. With a thunk the metal tipped bolt impacted the beast's visor and glanced off.

David felt himself pale as the beast turned towards him, shoving Splicers out of the way it began to wade its way through the horde.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Desperately fumbling with his next bolt, David began to reload his crossbow.

"Craaaaaaaap!" A brute of a Splicer attacked the metal behemoth. It responded by snapping the brute's neck barely breaking stride.

"Oh shit, oh shit!" David's trembling hands betrayed him as they failed to line the bolt into its place.

David raised his weapon triumphantly…only for the metal monster to tear it from his grasp and toss it aside. "Oh crap…"The beast wasn't one for wasting time it seemed, with a crunch its fist slammed into David's face.

()

With practiced ease Tony disassembled his LMG, checking every component carefully for signs of wear and tear. As he had expected it was in excellent condition. A slight noise drew his attention to Harper; the weedy little man had a plate with a sandwich on it. Judging from his hopeful expression he was giving him it as a peace offering.

"Keep your sandwich peewee; if I was hungry I'd get myself something." The little man visibly wilted as his hopes were crushed, Tony suppressed a smirk.

()

Sandy lay on the bed she had claimed, alone in the dark. Soft sobs passed her lips. She couldn't get it out of her mind, the monsters cancerous tongue running along her cheek, its deformed hands groping her, the ease with which it overpowered her. She could still feel the monster's leg in between hers, putting pressure on her most vulnerable area.

Its sibilant voice replayed itself over and over in her head calling her soft, calling her weak. The dank almost musty smell it had was stuck in her mind. A tear dripped down her cheek winding up in the long cut that traced the side of her face…his mark…his gift.

Sandy curled up in a ball and let the tears come, she had never felt so alone…so unclean.

()

Harper stared forlornly at his rejected gift, once more safe in the confines of his room. He didn't understand Tony's hatred of him, he wasn't a soldier, he couldn't be held to that standard. In his mind it had worked out differently, Tony had taken the peace offering graciously and they had talked. Harper had asked Tony to train him and the man had accepted. Of course in this fantasy Harper spoke boldly and confidently, reality was much different.

He lay on his bed with a sigh, tossing the sandwich away. He could hear the broken sobs coming from the poor girl's room. He wanted to go in, to comfort her, to help. He didn't though, he knew it would have ended badly; he would have said something stupid or made her worse. He closed his eyes in hopeless frustration, how were you supposed to show people you meant well when you could barely speak a sentence without stuttering?

He briefly contemplated telling the others about Sandy but thought better of it, what was the point of talking when no one listened?

()

With a crunch the monster slammed into the far wall, it twitched once then died with a gurgle. Ducking under a makeshift axe that was hurled at her, Theta lashed out with her foot. The monster crumpled to the ground, neck bent at an awkward angle.

Theta ignored the other monsters that were not an immediate threat and resumed her mad dash towards her friend. She could hear the enraged roars of a Bad Daddy she knew that David and the Splicers wouldn't have stood a chance against the monster. She just hoped they were still alive…she didn't know what she would do if David was dead…

()

Banes ripped his clever from the side of a Splicer's face, spitting on it as it collapsed. Hearing a whistling noise he ducked under the sloppy blow of another Splicer before spinning around. Snarling savagely he tore both his cleavers through the hostile Splicer's neck. He couldn't help grinning as the man collapsed to his knees, desperately trying to hold his throat.

The rogue Daddy ran by, tackling an unfortunate Splicer to the ground before landing a series of devastating punches on its unprotected face. Banes gave it a wide birth; he wasn't an idiot he wasn't going to piss off something that could tear him in half with no effort. Apparently that idiot human hadn't shared his philosophy…oh well.

Sharp eyes finding an unsuspecting Splicer Banes sprinted at it, laughing at the Splicer's imminent death he jumped into the air. Landing on the woman's shoulders Banes swung downwards with all his might. His cleavers caved in her skull, spewing bits of shattered bone, brain, and blood. "Come on you cunt! Was that the best you got?"

Unfortunately before he could continue his insults, he had many more just waiting to be unleashed, something hit the back of his head…hard. Blearily he turned over glaring at the manic Splicer that was hefting the metal chair of a leg. "Come on you little shit! Finish it!" Happily the Splicer obliged, raising the weapon over its head it screamed some form of battle cry.

As the Splicer swung its improvised weapon towards Bane's head everything seemed to slow. His sharp eyes caught sight of something gracefully flipping through the air. By now familiar shriek echoing around the room the Guardian made its presence known. It landed in a crouch and slammed its hand into the ground, a wave of telekinetic force surged out from around the point of impact tossing Splicers through the air as if they weighed nothing. Happily that included his would be killer.

Banes leapt to his feet teeth bared, things looked like they were about to get fun!

()

Theta flipped forward, body slamming a monster into the wall. With practiced ease she shoved her harvester into the creature's spine. Twisting it for good measure she pulled the mammoth needle free letting the paralyzed monster fall to the floor.

Seeing several monsters grouped together, obviously working up the courage to attack her, Theta acted first. Hands alight with the glow of fire she thrust her hands forward. The monsters agonized screams made her and her sister perched on her back giggle.

A sudden bang interrupted her brief amusement; the Bad Daddy was running towards her a pulped monster left in its wake. Alarmed with the suddenness of the attack, Theta did the only thing she could do. She thrust her hands forward and stopped its fist in mid swing. Unfortunately it seemed that the force of impacting the barrier she had put up was enough to trigger the, until that moment unnoticed, gun on the fallen knight's wrist.

Pain tore into her belly as the shotgun's pellets pierced her suit and entered her body. That Daddy had a punchgun! She'd always wanted one of those! Ducking under the beast's next swing Theta began her attack. Dancing around the mindlessly screaming entity, she used her superior speed to her advantage.

Before she could lure it far enough away from the others to feel safe executing her plan a monster landed on the Dark Knight's shoulders. What the hell did Ratface think he was doing? Laughing insanely the monster slammed his cleavers repeatedly into the oxygen tank of the Bad Daddy. After several seconds of seemingly being oblivious to the attack the rogue protector acted. It contemptuously grabbed the monster and tossed him across the room.

Before Theta could once again attempt to enact her plan the monster finished its. Laughing with crazed glee the monster sent a small spark towards the Daddy.

"BOOM!"

BOOM!

()

Theta hurt…all over…

Standing slowly she couldn't help whimpering as the various pieces of metal healed into her body gave her twinges of agony. The rogue Daddy's pulped remains steamed before her, reminding her of Ratface's idiocy. She had been planning on doing the same thing that it had done, except away from anyone who might have been hurt in the process.

"Sissy that was loud…"Theta felt fear grip her as she pulled Amanda from her perch on her back, happily the little girl appeared to only be dazed from the explosion.

Stupid monster! What if he had hurt…with a concerned shriek Theta fell to the ground moving the many corpses searching desperately for her missing friend.

"Oh man…did you see that?" Shut up shut up shut up!

"I just totally saved your ass!" Be quiet!

"The way his upper body just popped!" Theta started to whimper slightly, she couldn't find him!

"That just made my week!" There! A hand moved amongst the corpses.

Diving towards the movement Theta began hastily attempting to unbury the survivor. Disappointment flooded her veins as she pulled the survivor to the surface. It was just the stupid doctor! "Oh Thompson you survived? Damn, there goes my perfect day."

The recently unburied monster shot Ratface a halfhearted glare. "Bite me you rodentesque prick."

"Oh yeah? Well at least I didn't-" The Ratfaced monster was silenced as Theta tore off her helmet and hurled it at his head. Struggling to hold back tears she began to desperately search once more for her lost friend.

She didn't notice as Amanda hopped off of her shoulders and began "helping" the angels. It wasn't fair; a soft sob passed her lips, the first person to treat her like an innocent, like an equal, like a human was lying quite possibly dead somewhere in this room. Theta could feel the doctor monster's fascinated gaze boring into her back, seemingly shocked by her display of emotion and concern for her friend.

Desperately shaking her head in denial, she moved to another part of the room. Again all she found were dead monsters and broken machinery. Sudden movement caught Theta's eye, with a happy shriek she dove towards the movement. A monster lay before her, having shifted the body of a she-beast off of his. Rage clouded Theta's vision; with a wet crunch she crushed the monster's windpipe with her armored boot.

Rage quickly transformed into crushing sadness. Defeated Theta fell to the ground sobbing. She'd failed her friend, she'd let her cowardice get the best of her and had abandoned him when he needed her most. With a shriek of impotent rage she slammed her fist onto the metal floor, gaining only a small amount of satisfaction from the feeling of her hand shattering.

"Damn is it her time of the month or something?" Both the doctor monster and Theta ignored Ratface's inane comment.

A dead monster's vacant eyes were staring at her; she crushed its head with a flick of her wrist. She was sorry, she was so sorry! She'd been an idiot! She should have gone with him in the first place…if she had he wouldn't be dead.

"Mr. Ordinary…what are you doing with the angels?"

()

Banes fought down the urge to vomit as the vassal stumbled across that idiot humans body…his breathing body. "Oh come on! Why the hell does he have to be alive?"

In a flash the Guardian was next to its charge, tear stained face staring hopefully at the fallen human. Banes barely contained a surge of disgust…just when he'd thought he'd had the perfect end to a perfect day.

The vassal poked tentatively at the comatose human's face, provoking a sleepy snort and bat of the hand. As she giggled happily her sister acted, with another sob the Guardian dove at the injured human wrapping him in a tight hug. The human woke instantly with a pained gasp. His voice weak he desperately hit the Guardian's back. "Ribs ribs ribs ribs!"

With something that sounded suspiciously like a sheepish giggle, the Guardian released the human beaming down at him like he was the fucking space pope or something. Smiling slightly despite the pain he was in the human nodded to the Guardian. "Am I correct in assuming you just saved my ass like always?"

With a teary laugh the Guardian nodded, smiling through her tears. Banes leaned against the wall, paying more attention to the female Guardian then he had before. She may be a fucked up sociopath freak monster but she was kind of cute. She promptly ruined his brief assessment of her assets by leaning forward and resting her forehead against the human's eyes closed peacefully.

With a snort of disgust Banes took it upon himself to break up the disgustingly happy reunion, after all Thompson was too shocked to do anything himself. "Unless you want to take on those Splicers again once they regroup I'd suggest leaving." He paused grinning cruelly. "You know…we could always leave Davy Boy behind as a distraction."

The Guardian simply answered with a sharp glare. Motioning her charge to climb back atop her shoulders, she helped David to his feet. Helping to support the injured human she walked away from Thompson and Banes without a backwards glance, catching her helmet as it flew through the air into her waiting hand.

()

O'Neil giggled to himself as he saw the defenders readying themselves to leave. He turned and ran down the hallway to the first door he could find. Pulling the door open he stepped inside. Upon noticing there was no handle on the other side he was careful not to latch the door, lest his clever plan fail.

It was so simple! He giggled at the fact that no one else had thought of it. All he had to do was wait until they left and he would be able to steal all the Adam he could ever need! As the defenders passed his hiding spot he clamped his hands over his mouth, stifling the uproarious laugh he had felt building.

Slight movement sounded from deeper in the room. He wasn't alone. That was hilarious! Laughing at the sheer humor of the situation he was in he pulled out his lighter. After several seconds of fumbling he managed to light a small flame. Its wavering light illuminated the emaciated form of the room's occupant. It was tall, unnaturally so, but bone thin. It was just skin and bones…and softly glowing yellow eyes.

It took a step towards him and stumbled, falling to the ground. O'Neil could barely breathe from the sheer comic gold the creature was oozing! It hissed slightly as it stood shakily. Hilarious! O'Neil was doubled over gasping for air. This thing was a comic _genius_!

The creature growled revealing sharpened teeth. What a joker! He couldn't help himself as he leaned against the door gasping for breath, tears streaming from his eyes. The beast paused as it saw the door open slightly against O'Neil's weight.

Cunning flashed briefly in its eyes and it charged at the Splicer teeth bared. It was surprisingly strong and tackled O'Neil into the hallway. The creature pulled its clawed hand back preparing to strike at the laughing Splicer.

With a savage shriek it struck spilling fresh blood in the corpse ridden hallway. Amidst his screams O'Neil laughed. He laughed as his lungs filled with blood. He laughed as the creature sank its teeth into his neck. He laughed as it tore into his intestines. And why wouldn't he laugh? It was fucking _hilarious_!

* * *

><p><em>Say hello to Rapture's newest nightmare. This should be fun.<em>

_As always thank you for reading and please reveiw._


	24. A Ball and a Betrayal

Theta shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously; she'd been idling outside David's room for the last ten minutes. She felt the unfamiliar emotion of anxiety, she was unsure of what to do. She wasn't sure if wearing his dress was the best idea. David might be mad at her for not helping when he could have…

What if he wanted nothing more to do with her? That horrible thought made Theta very nervous. She didn't want David to hate her. Inside David's room Amanda laughed. Theta felt a rush of shame; her tiny sister had walked into his room without a moment's hesitation. That was something Theta found herself unable to do.

No! She was Theta damn it! She wasn't some cowardly child! With renewed determination she raised her had to open the door. Before she could she was overcome with another surge of doubt and settled for gently knocking. "Come in"

Hating herself for the irrational fear she was feeling Theta walked softly into the room. The floor was so very very interesting suddenly and her hands seemed unable to separate themselves, tying themselves into knots against her will. "Are you okay Sam?"

Theta looked at the human, shocked out of her brief surge of sheepishness. He was concerned for her? He was the one who was beaten on by a rogue Daddy! With an incredulous snort, Theta pointed at David. "Pft I'm fine…" Under Theta's piercing glare he corrected himself. "…ish. My ribs weren't broken just very bruised. My gunshot is patched up though I need to take it easy for a while. Oh and the loverly bite wound has been bandaged up and will leave a nice scar."

Theta felt a surge of relief, she was glad David was better then she had originally thought. "So will you answer my question now?" Theta was confused briefly before she realized he was asking if she was okay. She felt her face flush with the unfamiliar concern shown to her. To her surprise David started laughing. "I see your camouflage reflex has kicked in." Theta was confused for a second before the saw the color of her hair and noticed the heat emanating from her face. To her irritation her face deepened its blush, ignoring her orders for it to stop.

Before she could excuse herself Theta felt David's hand find her own. "Come on, sit down. I meant it; I want to know if you are okay." Theta sat next to the reclined human, squeezing his hand and smiling in response. "So are you okay?" She nodded for the first time ignoring her blush as she smiled at her friend. A twinge of pain caused her to gasp softly ruining the moment.

"What was that Sam?" Tentatively she placed her free hand over her belly; she hadn't gotten around to digging the shotgun's buckshot out of her skin yet. She stiffened as David placed the hand not holding hers on her tummy. Concern was evident on his face. "Is that buckshot?" She nodded tentatively; she didn't want him to get angry. "Can I help?" Theta blinked away tears and smiled at her friend. No one had ever offered to help her before, he hadn't even hesitated he'd just asked.

Overcome with gratitude, Theta leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. Leaving the stunned human she stood slowly. Motioning for David to wait, she left to fetch her medical…stuff.

She returned soon after leaving. Smiling happily at the human she set a scalpel down next to him. Not pausing she casually pulled her dress off. Why did David suddenly sound like he was choking? She sat before the blushing human in the skintight pants she wore beneath her armor and her bra.

Gently she took his hand and placed the scalpel in it before brining it to her belly. "W-wait." She released his hand, she was well aware he wouldn't like the idea of cutting her. "Is this the only way?" Theta nodded patiently. "A-are you sure you want me to do it?" That was a good question…the thought of letting someone else cut into her flesh seemed foolish. Even now a small part of her was screaming a warning telling her that he would hurt her. She looked into his eyes, seeing the honest concern he held for her and smiled. She trusted him…more then she'd ever trusted anyone. Gently she once again grasped his hand; rubbing her thumb comfortingly against the back of his hand she brought the scalpel closer to her tummy.

Theta breathed in deeply, preparing herself for pain. She nodded to David. Pain tore through her tummy as the scalpel cut into her delicate flesh. With a slight whimper she leaned forward, resting her forehead against the top of David's head. Upon hearing her whimper he paused, waiting for a cue from her. She grabbed his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Once again pain tore into the delicate skin of Theta's belly. She'd done things like this many times before; it was almost second nature to her by now. This time was different though. The pain seemed more distant, and David's presence soothed her greatly. With a slight surge of shock, Theta realized part of what drew her to the strange human…he made her feel safe.

()

Thompson closed the door into his medical bay with a sigh. The Bishop had been…displeased with their failure to gather the Adam. At least he had believed Thompson when he said it was far too dangerous to attempt to gather at this point.

He paused for several seconds before casting his gaze around the area, making sure he was alone. Upon verifying his isolation he pulled his radio from his pocket. With a practiced flick he activated the handheld device. "Tenenbaum…Tenenbaum do you copy?"

After several seconds a burst of static signaled the receiver of the message preparing to respond. "This is Jack, I read you Thompson."

Thompson savored the feeling of relief he felt when Jack picked up, he was risking a _lot_ betraying the Bishop like this. "The Adam is where we thought it'd be. I left the main entrance sealed only with our pass code. Oh and I managed to convince the Bishop that the Adam was too much trouble to retrieve."

A burst of static was emitted from the radio's speakers as Jack gave a relieved sigh. "Good. Thanks Thompson, stay safe."

"You too." With that Thompson turned the radio off and mentally braced himself for the celebration in honor of the fallen the Bishop had planned. It looked like it would be…interesting for lack of a better word.

()

Theta looked at the seven metal balls David had removed from her belly; she hadn't realized there were so many. To her pleasant surprise he hadn't been disgusted by her or her unnatural healing ability. He hadn't enjoyed cutting her but after her reassurance that it was the only way to get the buckshot out he had helped.

"Are you okay?" Theta's attention was moved from the blood covered metal to the concerned face of her friend. She nodded with a smile. She was happy to see that he didn't seem to view her any differently then he had before, even after seeing first hand proof of how abhuman she was.

She looked down at his blood covered hands; he could have hurt her so easily. He could have cut too deeply, cut into her stomach and hurt her leech. He hadn't though, he could have killed her so easily and he hadn't. She had made herself vulnerable to him…put her life in his hands and he'd treated it like some rare treasure. He'd viewed her as something worth preserving, something precious. He hadn't seen a tool or an investment when he looked at her, he hadn't seen what everyone else saw he'd seen something beautiful.

Theta felt almost like her leech was squirming in her belly. The feeling was different though, it made her feel happy. She stood slowly with a smile, gently pulling David up from his bed. Casting her eyes quickly around the room she spied his suit, raised hand calling it into her grip she handed it to David. Gently she walked him to the bathroom before pushing him inside.

She couldn't help laughing as the flummoxed human stared at her blankly holding his suit. She motioned between him and the shower and then held up her dress and pointed to herself. "Ah yes, I suppose we should get ready for the Bishop's horrid little shindig."

Seeing his scruffy smile a sudden thought crossed her mind. Holding up a finger so he would wait she sprinted to her room. She returned within a minute holding her gift, an almost full bottle of shaving cream. A broad grin split David's face as he saw her present. He graciously took it from her before enveloping her in a tight hug. "I love you! You are a life saver!"

The human then turned and sequestered himself in his bathroom, seemingly unaware of the stunned Big Sister he left behind. After several seconds Theta felt a small hand grab onto her far larger one. She looked down at her sister still slightly dazed. "I like him too Sissy, it's nice to see you smile." Blushing furiously Theta led her small charge to their room. They both needed to get ready for the ball thingy after all.

()

The Bishop's party…ball…thingy was loud, very very loud. Theta's ears pained her slightly as the overly loud music contended with the overly loud monsters all vying for the attention of their desired mates. One monster had even tried to gain her favor; it hadn't ended well for the malformed freak.

Theta glanced to her smaller sibling who appeared to be enjoying herself, no doubt seeing dozens of beautiful people dancing elegantly instead of dozens of deformed monsters lurching across the ballroom's floor.

"Guardian." Theta jumped in surprise as the doctor monster appeared next to her. Stupid noise! That monster wasn't stealthy enough to sneak up on her normally. "I feel I owe you an apology." Theta paused, thoroughly confused. "I viewed you as little more then a mindless automaton and you are far from that." She snorted dismissively; she didn't care what the monster thought of her. "Your reaction to finding David alive more then proved that." She glared at the irritating monster; it was treading on dangerous territory. "A word of advice, don't display much affection for him in public. There are those who would take advantage of your attachment to him." Before Theta could overcome her surprise and snap at the monster it nodded respectfully and with a murmured "Guardian" rejoined the throngs of monsters.

As Theta turned from the doctor monster, feeling distinctly nervous, she spied David for the first time. He was wandering through the crowd of Splicers, and from the look of it the she-beast was stalking him. Rolling her eyes Theta stood and felt her body disappear. Reappearing with a pop she grabbed David's hand, dragging him towards Amanda and her alcove and away from a certain disappointed she-beast.

Now that they were able to relax at their out of the way table Theta actually studied David for the first time since she saw him last. He looked cleaner then she remembered and much less scruffy. In his grayish suit he was actually kind of handsome. Theta blushed at the thought and ducked her head. She didn't know why she reacted like that. It wasn't as if he could read her mind…could he? Turning to face him fully Theta sent a thought she knew would upset him his way. 'You are mush less amusing then you think and are a constant burden on your allies'

When David's only reaction was a raised eyebrow at her intense staring, Theta smiled. She was glad he hadn't heard those thoughts, they weren't even _that _true. He was amusing except when he timed it inappropriately and he wasn't completely awful at fighting.

They sat in an awkward silence for several minutes; apparently David didn't know what to say. Theta sighed internally; she must have done something wrong he was normally so talkative. She turned to her drink with a frown, moodily swirling its contents with her straw. Across from her David slurped noisily from his nearly empty drink, the obnoxious noise grating on Theta's nerves. Theta had to suppress the urge to make his drink explode all over him; while it would have been amusing he probably would have gotten mad.

After several more minutes of awkward silence Theta's smaller sibling took the matter into her own hands. "Sissy, why don't you dance with David?" Theta sent a murderous glare towards her little sister shaking her head. "Oh come on Sissy! I know you can dance!" Theta turned from her _horrible_ sibling and glanced sheepishly at the human sitting across from her.

David was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, glancing between Theta and the little devil impersonating her sister. "So uh…do you want to dance?" Ignoring her sister's smirk Theta stood and, grabbing David's hand, dragged the human towards the dance floor.

()

Amanda was _very_ pleased with herself. First she'd found Sissy's secret stash of Pep Bars, then she'd found Mr. Ordinary's beanoclears, and then she'd gotten Sissy to dance with Mr. Ordinary! She hadn't been affected by her sister's blood curdling glares; she knew that she'd be thanking her in the end. After all Mr. Ordinary made Sissy smile, and it had been far too long since she'd seen Sissy smile.

The beautiful ball had ended a short while ago and Amanda was now alone with Mr. Ordinary in his room. Sissy had followed them back to his apartment but had left almost immediately after arriving indicating in her unique way that she would be back soon. With nothing else to do, Amanda set out to help make sure Sissy would be happy. Plopping down next to Mr. Ordinary on the couch she stared up at him with the kind of calculated gaze only a child has. "Sissy's pretty."

Surprised Mr. Ordinary glanced down at her before responding. "Yes…she is."

"And you're handsome."

"Um…thank you?"

"You should kiss."

Staring in shock at the little girl sitting next to him, Mr. Ordinary tried to formulate an appropriate response. "Um…isn't that something only adults should worry about?"

Amanda crossed her arms, giving the human a dry glare. "_No_. You make Sissy happy, Sissy makes you happy." Crossing her arms with finality she finished. "So you should kiss."

"Um…no?"

Amanda stared at the human in shock. He liked Sissy, and Sissy liked him. Why were they overcomplicating it? With a sigh she covered her eyes with a hand. "Okay, do you like Sissy?"

"There are different types of like…"

"That's a yes or no question. Don't question yourself just answer!"

With a sigh Mr. Ordinary slumped back in his seat. "Yes."

"Okay. And I can say without a doubt that Sissy likes you." Hoping that she'd dumbed her reasoning down enough for the human to comprehend Amanda finished. "So you should kiss!"

"Um…that's not really how this works…"

With a frustrated cry Amanda threw her hands up in disgust, how dumb was this human?

()

Theta settled her armored bulk silently on the ground of the Bishop's inner sanctum. She was done waiting, this monster was up to something and she was going to find out what! The building itself was bordering on ridiculous. It had been built into stalactite…or stalagmite…or whatever… it was on the ceiling. It was connected to the apex of the Cathedral of Ascension, or whatever the idiotic monster's called the great stone church thing they made, by a series of metal catwalks.

The inside was borderline opulent with thick carpets, leather furniture, and what looked like silk sheets on the bed. Theta snorted in distaste, while his followers wallowed in squalor this "benevolent leader" lived like a king. She cocked her helmeted head as she found a promising room; it appeared to be some kind of library.

Theta entered the room silently, cautiously eyeing the labels on the books and voiceboxes. A series of voiceboxes looked promising, they were titled Ascended. Theta tentatively grabbed the first one and hit play. An unfamiliar voice sounded from the small machine, it sounded excited.

"_The research is progressing remarkably well; the test subjects are showing a marked increase in their tolerance to pressure_, _temperature, and lack of air. While most can only hold their breath for a very long time some of the newer subjects display a limited ability to breath underwater. We will aim to improve that trait in future generations."_

"_As we agreed the volunteers families are being taken care of, they are given accommodations, food, and medicine. Hell at this point they're living better then my own family."_

Theta returned the voicebox to its original position, her curiosity piqued. This time as she grabbed one she chose one from the middle. The same voice echoed around the room, though it sounded tired now, almost wary.

"_One of the older subjects was killed last night…several of the younger ones swarmed him. They stripped him to the bones within an hour. The other earlier subjects are giving them a wide birth. These newest subjects are much better adapted to their aquatic environment then their older brethren. At this point I don't see how much more we could improve with future generations." _

"_I won't lie…the newest subjects make me nervous. They retain more of their previous intelligence and seem to almost enjoy hunting the older subjects. I fear we may have taken too much of their humanity in the pursuit of knowledge."_

Uneasy now, Theta grabbed the first one marked with different hand writing. A familiar voice echoed eerily from the device, the Bishop.

"_Danson was a fool, he didn't realize what his 'subjects' were. That fool actually managed to stumble upon the next step of humanity's evolution! To think…he wanted to destroy them! Destroy his children…destroy our future. He had lost his grip on reality, he wasn't talking sense. I fed him to his children…there must be some poetic irony in that fact."_

"_Starting tomorrow I'll begin to reeducate the local populace. They must come to realize that these beings aren't monsters. They aren't our death…but our future!"_

Theta felt a chill go down her spine, something was very very wrong here. "You weren't supposed to hear that." Theta spun around, raising her harvester. In the entrance to the library stood the Bishop, calmly standing in place hands raised over his head.

Theta growled at the strange monster, she wasn't taking any chances. "The people have been happier since it started, they have hope now." The Bishop began to walk calmly into the room, running his hand along the backs of the assorted books set against the wall. "I gave that to them and they love me because of it. I offer them an escape, a way out of their hellish existence" Theta growled louder, waving her harvester. She wasn't going to let him get any closer. "I know what you're thinking, I've seen it before. You think I'm wrong, that I'm sick, that the hope I offer my people is false." The Bishop stood his ground, unnatural eyes staring into her blood red porthole. "You are the one who is wrong…and I won't let you bring my followers to harm." The Bishop raised his hand calmly, a small cylinder clenched in his fist. "Goodnight Guardian…it's a shame it came to this." The bishop pressed the button on the end of the cylinder…nothing happened.

With a furious growl Theta lunged forward. Something was wrong…it was as if she was moving in slow motion. The Bishop sidestepped her with ease. Theta fell to her knees. Everything…everything was spinning…there were lights flashing in the air…what was that smell?

Theta stared at the beautiful lights in confusion as her awareness faded. The air in her helmet flooded with a potent knockout gas, courtesy of the Bishop's generous repair. Her last thought was of David…he had a nice smile.

()

David glanced awkwardly at the little girl giving him the evil eye. It wasn't his fault she spoke madness! To his relief a knock sounded on the door. "There see? There she is, maybe she'll help dispel your sudden bout of cranial insanitosis."

David rushed to the door, eager for Sam to help talk sense into her smaller sibling. Grinning broadly he pulled the door open. Bartimaeus stood on the other side, flanked by two cronies. Feigning joyous surprise, David raised his hands over his head. "Bartholomew! How are you?"

The Splicer smiled his sick little smile and cracked his neck. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this." With shocking speed Bennie slammed his fist into David's nose. David landed on his back, too stunned to defend himself. The Splicer knelt next to him, cruel grin splitting his face in two. "Don't worry Davy Boy, I'll take good care of you." His fist crashed once more into the human's face. The last thing David was aware of was Amanda's terrified screams.

* * *

><p><em>What a happy turn of events! As always I hope you liked the newest chapter, reviews are greatly appreciated.<em>


	25. Wrath

Sobs echoed around the cell. The cell itself was small no more then six feet by six feet by six feet. It was empty of furniture and had nothing in the way of lighting. If there had been a light the cell's occupant would have been visible, a lanky girl in her late teens or early twenties, wearing the dirty remains of what must have at one time been a beautiful dress. Her hair was the color of flames and came down to just below her shoulders. She sat in the fetal position rocking back and forth terrified hiccupping sobs her only company. Her gaze was blank, her eyes staring at nothing as she rocked back and forth.

With a sudden violent twitch she leapt to her feet and ran full tilt at the wall. The impact with the cold metal surface shattered her nose sending blood gushing down her thin face. Sobs morphing into desperate screams she pounded on the wall with all her might.

She refused to stop as the skin on her hands tore.

She refused to stop as her throat started to bleed from the constant screams.

She refused to stop as the bones of her hands broke.

Even as her captors once more filled her room with a potent knock out gas she refused to stop until she lost consciousness. In another hour or two she'd wake, once more healed by her unnatural abilities, and the cycle would repeat itself as it had the last time…and the time before that…and the time before that.

()

Alone in a pitch black room David slowly roused himself to consciousness, gingerly touching the large lump on his forehead he sighed alone in the dark. "Well…this sucks."

()

"You should have seen the look on his smug little face!" Thompson hmmed in disinterest as Banes once again told the story of his great 'victory'.

"He looked so damn shocked and confused as I socked him in the face."

A tired sigh. "Yes, yes. It sounds like it was wonderful."

"Oh! Oh! And the Vassal was _screaming!_ If there had been a Big Daddy within about five miles it would have come rushing there to cave my skull in!"

"Charming."

"I even tore up all their stuff."

"How remarkably petty of you…"

"Are you even listening to me? You should have been there it was _great_!"

Thompson gave Banes a somewhat disgusted look. "Several points I feel I should make. Number one: I am a doctor I try to avoid harming people as much as possible." Banes snorted in distaste. "Number two: I have nothing against David, the Guardian, or the Vassal." Banes opened his mouth to argue but was stopped when Thompson held up a hand. "And number three: I don't generally betray people who save my life, especially when they saved my life earlier that very day."

Banes rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Aaron, you can't tell me you actually liked them?"

Thompson stood with a soft sigh, turning to leave. "And if I did?"

()

David sighed to himself as he leaned against the wall. "Well there was also that time Deb ran smack into the sliding glass door and knocked her baby tooth out." A slight chuckle. "Ah…the look on her face." David paused, forehead wrinkled in concentration as he attempted to wrangle more pleasant memories from the depths of his mind, watching his older sister behaving like a buffoon was all well and good but it wasn't the type of calming memory he was looking for.

The memory he settled on surprised him, for it was far more resent then he'd have thought a pleasant calming memory would be. His pointer finger and thumb were up to the first knuckle in the firm muscle of Sam's abdominal, carefully trying to pry the final piece of buckshot from its place. Except for the occasional slight twinge or hiss Sam didn't really react to the pain he must have been causing her.

He had been shocked when she'd shown him how she dealt with her injuries, almost as shocked as when she'd given _him_ the scalpel. He had almost refused, after all the thought of hurting her made him feel sick. He'd even started to refuse until he'd looked at her. She'd been looking at him nervously almost fearfully, but behind the nerves and slight fear he'd seen trust. That had been enough for him.

There had been something almost intimate about it, hearing her occasionally gasp in his ear as she leaned against him had been…strange to say the least. Something strange had happened when he'd been fishing for the last metal ball, his fingers had brushed against a section of her abdominal and something had _moved_ beneath it. They had both frozen at that. Not removing his had for fear of scaring or worse hurting her he had leaned back slightly looking at her face.

She had been pale, well paler then normal, trembling slightly in fear as whatever was moving in her belly wriggled against his hand. He shifted to get a better look at her face and had pressed slightly harder against the foreign object then he had previously. She whimpered trembling like a leaf as she turned her head to look into his eyes. "Does that hurt?" Trembling she had shaken her head. Obviously it had hurt but not more then anything else, or at least that's what David had gotten from her answer. "Is um…is that important?" Softly glowing eyes huge she had nodded. "Would you die if it was damaged?" Suppressing a terrified whimper she had nodded once again.

It was then that the amount of trust she had shown him dawned on him. Not only had she let him for lack of a better word operate on her, she had just informed him of how easily he could kill her. Touched by her trust David had grabbed the metal object he had been looking for and pulled his fingers out of the small incision in her flesh. Within seconds the cut had began to heal, within a minute there had been no trace left. Setting the final pellet with the others David had smiled at his confused friend. "Your secret is safe with me." Sam's only response had been a bashful smile.

()

Andrea ducked as the guards passed her position, talking about something involving pork chops. Shaking her head at their idiocy she snuck deeper into the prison complex. She had it all planned out, she'd save David and together they'd run away to the surface to live until a ripe old age in a quaint little house near a brook wherein they would die simultaneously in their sleep at the age of 106 surrounded by their many children and grandchildren. It was so _perfect_!

After all it was hardly his fault his stupid companion had invaded the Bishop's inner sanctum. Why should he be punished for her impudence? He'd be so grateful when she saved him that he'd probably declare his undying love for her on the spot! Her happy fantasies were interrupted buy a stern voice. "You aren't supposed to be here." Oops…

()

Jack stepped carefully through the corpse ridden hallways of Suchong's private lab. He was at point followed closely by Tony. Behind the two of them were Tenenbaum and Sandy, to the surprise of everyone Harper had volunteered to take rear guard. Turning a corner Jack saw something that surprised even him, holding a hand up he signaled the others to stop.

Slowly, heavily modified pistol and wrench held at the ready he approached the corpse that had attracted his attention. It had been…savaged by something. Its chest cavity had been ripped open, broken ribs sticking out at awkward angles, all of the internal organs appeared to have been eaten and spewed around the corpse. It was almost completely striped of meat and many of the larger bones had been broken open and the marrow sucked out.

"You have any idea what could have done this?" Tony's question was answered with a shake of his head. No this was definitely something new.

"We should keep moving. Stick together we don't know what did this." The others followed his lead without question, unconsciously bunching closer together. As they progressed deeper into the facility they passed more and more mutilated bodies, every single one looked to have been mauled and at least partially eaten. Sudden movement ahead of them halted the group in its tracks as a Splicer came sprinting their way. Before they could do anything he was upon them…"Get the hell outa my way!"…and after shoving past them he was beyond them sprinting desperately for the exit.

"T-that was unexpected…wasn't it?" Jack nodded at Harper deep in thought; he'd never seen a Splicer run like that before. As they wound their way deeper into the complex a terrified scream sounded from behind them…a scream followed by an inhuman roar. It looked like the Splicer hadn't made it. "D-do you r-recognize that?" Jack shook his head; it had been louder and sounded less like a whale then a Big Daddy and was much deeper then an angry Splicer. Whatever this thing was he was going to do his best to avoid it.

"I don't give a shit what type of thing it is Harper, it'll die if we shoot it enough." Jack smirked slightly to himself at Tony's bravado. He did have a point though; even Atlas had succumbed to his wounds in the end.

The journey deeper into the complex got tenser and tenser as they trekked deeper. Sandy reacted first, twitchily looking behind herself and into side rooms at seemingly random occasions. Jack had been about to tell her to calm down when he'd heard what she must have, the occasional rustle of something bumping against something, the soft crunch of something stepping on bones. Something was following them…

"E-everyone hears that r-right?"

As Jack turned to Harper to confirm his suspicions he saw something large looming in the doorway of a side room. "Look out!" Jack was able to shove Harper out of the way but was unable to do that same for himself. Moving with shocking speed the creature slammed Jack into the wall, pinning him there with two large hands with unnaturally long fingers.

Jack glared into the crazed yellow eyes of his attacker. Whatever this thing was it was new to him. It was large, easily eight feet in height, and covered in compact muscles giving it an almost lanky appearance. Its mouth was unnaturally big and filled with large jagged teeth. Dried blood covered the beast's mouth and small bits of meat were stuck in its teeth. The beast opened its mouth unnaturally wide, its feted breath making Jack gag. Before it could sink its teeth into his flesh however, the hallway exploded with noise as Tony opened up with his LMG.

Loosing a pained shriek the beast turned and ran, unfortunately it kept one hand firmly encircling Jack's throat. It tore down the twisting halls of the complex at a shocking speed, the arm that was carrying all of Jack's not inconsiderable weight showing absolutely no sign of even slightly weakening.

After what could have been a few seconds or several minutes to Jack's oxygen deprived brain the beast found its way into a side room. Casually tossing Jack to the floor it turned and crouched beside the door, carefully watching for any signs of pursuit. From his position on the floor Jack could see the creature's back. It was covered in stretch marks as if it had grown rapidly. The most inhuman trait however was its spine. The bones of its vertebrae had grown alarmingly at some point piercing the skin; the abnormal bone growth gave the beast a constant slightly hunchbacked posture. With a start Jack realized that if it could extend its spine fully it would be considerably taller then it already was, it was almost as if the beast's bones had grown faster then the rest of it and the body was trying to catch up.

There was no question that if it came down to a test of strength this creature would easily win, a test of cunning however was a different story. With a grin Jack spotted several canisters of oil that might be quite useful. Reaching out with his telekinesis Jack grabbed one and hurled it at the beast's back. It exploded on impact causing the creature to loose a pained scream as it suddenly found itself ablaze. Jumping to his feet Jack dashed past the flailing creature and away from the impending explosion.

Jack was not disappointed, several seconds later the creature apparently blundered further into the room igniting the remaining canisters. With a large bang the creature's pained screams were silenced.

()

Andrea looked sheepishly at the stern looking Thompson. "Um…hi doc…whatcha doin?"

Thompson merely crossed his arms and leaned casually against the wall. "I might ask you the same question." Ignoring Andrea's alarmed look, Thompson continued. "After all this looks quite suspicious, your…affection for David is well known."

Mentioning her lost love was the final straw, Andrea started sobbing. "It's not fair! We love each other! I just want to save him so we can live happily ever after! Is that so bad?"

Thompson's only response was a dry "yes". At that Andrea lost it, collapsing to the ground in a puddle of spliced human, perfume, makeup, and tears she wailed her displeasure for the world to hear.

Sighing and attempting to rub away his on coming migraine Thompson continued. "If you want to save _both_ of them however, I can help you."

Instantly composed, Andrea shot to her feet. "Really?"

A dry sigh. "Yes."

With a happy cry Andrea started to skip down to the hallway she knew David was being held. "Hold on."

Andrea paused, sending a cheery, if confused, look Thompson's way. "I think it'd be best if _I_ got David, you can get Subject Theta." Andrea spun around with a glare but was interrupted before she could start her tirade. "…or I could get security, after all _I'm _allowed back here."

With an angry huff Andrea spun around and marched towards _her_ cell. At least she was going to get to see David soon.

()

Jack and Tony followed Tenenbaum's lead as they headed back to her safe house. So far the airtight containers they had the Adam in had concealed its presence to the denizens of Rapture but Jack wasn't going to risk his life by letting his guard down. From behind them Harper repeated his question for what must have been the twelfth time. "Y-your sure it was d-dead?"

Jack sighed; it was times like this he understood Tony's distaste for the weedy little man. "Yes Harper, it's dead. There were at least twelve canisters of oil in that room and they all went up at once. It's dead!"

"Oh…t-that's good."

Tony rolled his eyes and muttered something unkind under his breath. Sandy had been silent the entire trip, never saying a word. Jack almost missed her constant sarcastic comments; he was beginning to worry about her. "Here we are." As Tenenbaum activated the secret entrance Jack couldn't help but watch her with concern. She was getting old; years of constant worry had aged her prematurely. She was thin, thin and weak. He knew for a fact she wasn't eating as much as she should have.

When she'd come to him with her plan to return to Rapture she had only wanted some advice on what to expect. It had only been at Jack's insistence that she let him accompany her expedition; she hadn't wanted to expose him to that hellish place once again. Jack appreciated the thought but he wasn't going to let her go alone, especially in her decaying health. Whether she liked it or not she was a mother figure to his girls, and was almost one to him. She couldn't seem to help herself; she cared for Rapture's misfits as if they were her own flesh and blood.

Jack aimed to return the favor; Tenenbaum was going to see the surface again. He would happily die to make that happen.

"S-so you're a-absolutely sure it w-was dead?" Jack sighed and Tony cursed under his breath, today had been a long day.

()

Light spilled into her prison, she hissed and covered her face trying to hide from the oppressive light. As her eyes adapted to the harsh light she could make out the outline of a figure standing in the doorway. Hiss turning into a savage shriek she dove at her jailor.

With a laughable amount of effort she pinned the monster against the far wall of the prison. The monster thrashed against her tight hold but was too weak to break it. Looking at her free arm she saw its skin darkening and holes opening in the pale flesh. She could feel hundreds of insects crawling throughout her arm. Savagely crushing her hand onto the monster's mouth she released them.

The monster thrashed horribly, choking and shrieking as the vicious insects swarmed down its throat. With a simple command she had them split up, some burrowing into the sinuses, others going to the lungs, eyes, esophagus, the tongue…She smiled as the monster's screams grew more pained and desperate, its thrashing growing weaker as its eyes rolled into the back of its head. The monster's horrid pink nails dug into the flesh of her arm as it thrashed and gurgled.

She released the monster and let it flop around on the floor foam pooling from its mouth. A simple change in pheromones commanded the insects to ease up the attack, after all where was the fun if the monster died quickly?

Movement attracted her attention as more monsters streamed into the hallway. Leaving the bugs to go about their business, Theta smiled eager for the coming bloodbath.

()

Covering his eyes from the harsh light David was relieved to hear a familiar voice. "Come on, get up we don't have much time."

"Oh and I'm supposed to trust you?"

Thompson sighed before laughing slightly. "Haven't we had this conversation before?"

David tapped his chin faking deep thought he nodded. "You know I believe we have. My point remains."

Thompson sighed before looking David in the eyes. "I sent Andrea to get Th-Samantha, you are just going to have to trust me."

David nodded before standing slowly. "Don't make me regret this."

()

With a crunch Theta's bare foot slammed into the monster's protruding nose. As it jerked backwards in pain she lunged forward, grabbing it by the shoulder she pirouetted around it putting it in the way of the three arrows that had been flying towards her. Three thumps in rapid succession and the monster went limp. Continuing her pirouette she disappeared, taking the body with her. Reappearing in mid air she used her momentum to hammer toss the dead body into several of its fellows.

Slamming a palm into the ground as she landed she froze the thin layer of water that coated the floor, the sound of several monsters loosing their footing made her grin. With a simple flick of her wrist she made the water accumulate under each stunned monster. She clenched her fist and the water shot upwards, impaling the monsters each on their very own icicle.

A whistle was all the warning she needed and she dematerialized as the area she was in exploded. Rematerializing before the monster with a grenade launcher she ignited his ammo pack before disappearing once again.

With a pop she appeared between two monsters, pausing briefly to rip their throats out she rolled towards their terrified friend. A punch to the stomach doubled it over, and a knee to the groin made it open its mouth. Moving quickly she dug her bloody nails into its tongue and pulled. The beast howled in agony as she tore its tongue free. Now on its knees the beast blubbered incoherently, both hands clasped over its blood spewing mouth. Deftly freezing the sweat and other liquids that coated her arm she created an ice spear. An ice spear she promptly rammed into the monster's chin and out the top of its head.

Looking up she saw a monster appearing in mid air before her, with a flick of her wrist she tossed a pebble into the space where its head was forming. When it appeared it simply collapsed and started thrashing wildly on the ground, foaming at the mouth. Theta smirked it appeared to have forgotten how to breath.

Loosing another bloodcurdling scream she moved to charge forward, only to be lifted off of the ground by a mammoth monster. The beast was pinning her arms to her sides and was squeezing. Theta could always have simply teleported away but she wasn't one to take the easy way out. She smiled broadly before opening her mouth. Dozens of hornets flew out and immediately attacked the large monster. The beast released her, falling to the ground as it swatted at the vicious insects. Theta landed on its stomach before spinning around. Smiling viciously she pressed her lips to the beasts, forcing its mouth open she opened her own. Hundreds of hornets flowed from her mouth into the thrashing monster's maw. Theta smiled as the beast screamed into her mouth, beady black eyes pleading with her to stop.

Raising her head she saw roughly a dozen monsters standing at the end of the hallway. They were trembling…good! Leaping from the seizing beast she sprinted towards the monsters, arms held out at her sides sharp nails bared like talons. The monsters sent a hail of bullets her way, a hail of bullets easily avoided by teleporting to the side and twenty feet forward. They sent another burst her way and she simply repeated her tactic, it was funny by shooting at her they were hastening their demise.

Her next teleportation took into their midst and her fun began. Reaching behind her she grabbed the monster that had been at the front by the chin. Viciously pulling its chin over her shoulder she heard its neck break with a satisfying snap. Diving to the side she punched the monster before her with a fraction of her might, it served its purpose though. Bellowing in anger the monster unloaded its gun at her, only for her to disappear. The monster looked flummoxed for a second before it saw its friend collapse in a bullet ridden mess. Theta reappeared behind the beast and snapped its neck effortlessly. She lunged towards the next she latched onto its neck with her teeth. Tackling it to the ground she ripped its throat out before jumping to her feet. She spun around and before the other monsters could react lit the very air on fire. As the remaining monsters screamed in agony Theta smiled, this was the most fun she'd had in a long long time.

()

David and Thompson froze as screams began to echo from down the hallway. "That's where Sam is isn't it?" The second Thompson nodded David took off sprinting in the direction of the screams

"What are you doing? Common sense dictates that you run _away_ from horrible screams!" With a frustrated groan the Splicer began to chase after the human. He didn't have to chase him far. Thompson tore around the corner and almost knocked over a shocked David. Thompson looked past David and felt his blood turn to ice.

Standing about twenty feet before them was Subject Theta; she was holding a mammoth Splicer over her head as if he weighed nothing. After a second her shoulders tensed and, with a shower of gore, she ripped the man clean in half.

A tiny woman was on the floor in between the stunned duo and the blood drenched experiment. She was crawling backwards tears in her eyes as she desperately begged for mercy. "P-please…I just fed the prisoners! I didn't hurt anyone." A sob slipped past her lips. "I've never hurt anyone." Subject Theta sauntered over to the cowering woman and put a hand on her shoulder, for a second the woman seemed to think the monstrous experiment was trying to comfort her, a small smile crossing her tearstained face. Face a grimace of distaste the monster before them reached down with her other hand. With a slight squelching noise and a squeal of pain from the small woman, it dug its fingers under the woman's chin and grabbed her mandible. There was a horrible cracking noise and it ripped the woman's jaw cleanly from the rest of her body.

"S-Sam…" Subject Theta looked up with a hiss, leaving the dieing woman to her fate. Thompson took a step towards David to drag him away but was blasted away from him by a telekinetic surge.

"S-Sam do you understand me?" Subject Theta surged forward; grabbing the large human by the throat it effortlessly slammed him against the wall. It narrowed its eyes hissing again, bloodstained teeth bared.

"S-Sam…w-what are you d-doing?" Subject Theta blinked before a look of horror crossed its face. With a yelp it dropped the human, leaving him on the ground desperately gasping for air. Tentatively it reached towards David only for him to flinch away. It backed away, desperately whimpering and shaking its head. To Thompson's surprise it looked near tears.

Once David's breathing had become more regular it reached towards him again hand trembling. When David flinched again it reacted like it had been burned, yanking its hand away from him. Stifling a sob it turned and ran past Thompson, barely sparing him a glance. With a mournful cry it blasted the doors of the prison open and ran towards Haven.

It looked like it had unfinished business. Thompson moved to crouch next to the winded human. "Are you okay? Did it hurt you?"

Voice still raspy the human replied. "N-no. I-I'm fine."

"Good I'm getting you-"

"No!"

Thompson paused, staring in shock at the obviously delirious human. "What?"

"I said no, go find her. Help her."

"What? Are you insane? She just tried to kill you!"

David sent the Splicer a vicious glare. "I know. And to make this clear I'm not asking!"

Sighing at the human's stupidity Thompson nodded. Not bothering to wave to the doomed human he turned and jogged out of the prison complex, chasing after the distant form of the fleeing protector.

()

David groaned as he stood slowly, it had been several minutes since Sam had run off and he'd sent Thompson to try to help her. Slowly making his way to the door he was halted by the last voice he wanted to hear. "Ah ah ah…I don't remember saying you could leave Davy Boy."

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed this newest chapter and the mostly unexplored not so human side of Theta. As always reviews are much appreciated.<em>


	26. All Fall Down

"You have the worst timing ever…of all time!"

Beans just grinned at the frustrated human. "Or the best, different point of view and all that." David sighed softly the man did have a point after all.

"So Davy Boy how are we going to play this?" He pulled one of his cleavers from its holster, fingering the blade with a smug smile on his rodentesque face. "There are so many options! You could try to run and I could kill you. You could try to fight and I could kill you. You could try to trick me and I could kill you. You could try to hide behind your absentee protector and I could kill you." He grinned bearing pointed teeth. "This is going to be _so _much fun!"

Hands raised defensively David backed away slowly. "Aren't you even going to give me a weapon? That'd be the sporting thing to do…"

Slowly advancing while spinning his cleavers, the Splicer nodded. "That would be the sporting thing to do…unfortunately for you I'm not in the sporting mood."

Taking that as his queue David turned and sprinted towards the city, a laughing Splicer close behind him.

()

Theta closed her eyes and focused she had to find her. David may hate her now but her sister didn't and she wouldn't let the only person who cared about her die at the hands of these crazed monsters! After only a brief pause Theta found her sibling, she was being held in the cathedral along with almost all of the monsters that lived in this hell hole.

Running as fast as she could, Theta tore through the makeshift city the monsters had assembled. The first time she'd seen the city she'd felt a grudging respect for the monsters accomplishment now she felt only disgust. Ignoring the streets and alleys the monsters had made Theta went strait towards the cathedral, obliterating any of the ramshackle buildings that stood in her way.

She reached the imposing cathedral in what must have been a world record time and carefully opened the door. She could hear the Bishop's smug voice as it preached to its idiotic followers. Words about sacrifice, words about blessings, words about ascension, he promised so much…a shame they were all lies.

Being as stealthy as she could the blood drenched protector climbed onto one of the maintenance ramps that overlooked the vast assembly hall. There was one monster sitting on the edge, smiling faintly as it watched the small form of the Bishop pace back and forth. Theta snuck behind it silently and broke its neck. Carefully she pulled it fully on to the ramp and laid it down so the monsters beneath her could not see their fallen friend.

The interior of the cathedral was impressive. A great semicircular area had been turned into a series of multileveled stands upon which the inhabitants of the city sat. In the center of the semicircle, against the far wall, was the stage from which the Bishop spewed his ranting. The far wall was pure glass giving an unobstructed view into the pitch black of the underwater cavern that resided next to Haven. The only thing besides the huge window on the back wall was a small airlock built into the back of the stage.

Below her the Bishop continued his rant. "These impostures summoned forth our blind brothers and stole the Adam from us! They almost killed our entire party, were it not for Bane's heroic efforts to reveal their treachery we would never have known!"

Theta snorted in disgust, she was looking forward to killing that cretin. Crawling on her belly she attempted to get as close as possible to the leader of this blasted cult. A sudden noise from behind her caused her to spin around. The monster doctor was crouched at the start of the catwalk staring at her like she was crazy. "What are you doing? You need to get out of here!" Theta shot it a disgusted look, if it thought it was leaving her sister behind it was sadly mistaken.

"The heretics made one critical mistake!" The assembled monsters jeered. "They may have denied us the Adam we wanted but they gave us another source." The monsters jeers morphed into energetic cheers. Theta felt her heart stop…a panel on the floor slid open and a cage rose out of it. Trembling inside was the small form of her sister.

()

David ducked, feeling the blade slice past the top of his head far too close for his comfort he kept moving. "Come on you fucking pansy! I promise I'll make it quick!" Ignoring the psychopathic Splicer's yells David spun around the corner, running down the main street of Haven.

A portly Splicer lumbered out from a back alley, trailing a cart of produce. Unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the man or his crops David did the next best thing, with a terrified yell he leapt over the cart. Landing on the other side he kept running breath coming in ragged desperate gasps.

From behind him he heard a crash and furious yelling. The yelling stopped quickly morphing into a pained scream as Bevis killed the portly Splicer. "I'm coming you little shit! You better run _fast_!"

David had to find Sam or Thompson; he just had to find where they went. He was so engrossed in his running that he almost missed the series of obliterated houses leading strait to the cathedral, well that answered his question. Still yelling in panic David turned and began sprinting towards the cathedral, well aware of the furious Splicer breathing down his neck.

()

Theta crouched readying herself to spring, she was stopped before she could however as the monster doctor rammed into her. They tumbled briefly before Theta came to her senses and pinned him beneath her. With a savage growl she raised her hand, sharp nails poised to deliver serious bodily harm. "Wait, just wait. Please…" Theta paused narrowing her eyes, why should she listen to this stupid monster?

"If you take her they'll kill the others please. They aren't evil they're just misguided…they don't deserve that." Theta snorted in disgust she didn't care if the monsters were innocent or not, she was getting her sister and if they all died as a result it'd probably be good for a laugh or two.

Theta stood to her full height and readied herself to attack. She stopped when the airlock on the far wall of the cathedral opened and the crowd hushed. The Bishop fell to a knee and bowed his head as some…_thing_ came through. It was tall, very tall almost eight feet in height. The freakish creature walked on all fours, shuffling awkwardly towards the Bishop and her trembling sibling. Its legs were small almost comically so, its arms on the other hand were mammoth. They were incredibly lanky with freakishly large webbed hands on which it supported much of its weight. Its waist was very skinny, almost emaciated. This trait contrasted with its strong barrel chest. The creature's face was probably its most disturbing feature, it looked like it might have been human at one point but had been twisted. Its nose was barely visible just two small slits over its mouth. Its mouth was freakish a small almost leech like orifice with hundreds of needlelike teeth. Its eyes were a dull grey orbs that roved randomly around the large room, some small part of Theta's mind reasoned that it must be blind.

The creature stopped about three feet from the Bishop. It paused, horrible head tilting this way and that as its small nose sniffed at the air. Its leechlike mouth moved slightly and to Theta's shock it spoke. "_Where?_" Its voice was soft and sibilant almost like a hiss.

The Bishop did not raise himself from his knees as he gestured towards her sister. "It is right there oh glorious Ascendant."

The Creature recoiled backwards as if struck before, with a shriek of rage, it knocked the Bishop onto his back. Pinning him with one freakishly elongated hand it leaned over him, snarling. "_Not as agreed._"

The Bishop looked terrified as the monster loomed over him. "I-I know mighty one, there was an incident it was beyond our control." The creature hissed dangerously blind eyes narrowed in rage. "Take as many of my followers as you want oh lord! Just let me live! If I die who will carry your message?"

The creature leaned back, leaving the Bishop pinned it sniffed the air. "_Much promised…much will be taken._"

"O-of course great one! Take any you want."

The creature made a sick gurgling noise that Theta suspected might have been a chuckle. "_Take you?_"

"B-but lord, who would spread the word if I died?"

The creature snorted in disgust and released the Bishop. "_Parasite. Consider self lucky useful._" One unnaturally long arm grasped Amanda's cage and pulled it next to it. Before the creature could open the cage and grab her sister Theta acted, lashing her hand out she broke the back of the cage and pulled her sister through the air.

Theta caught her terrified sister and hugged her tight horrified by what could have happened if she'd been slower…if the encounter with David hadn't jarred her back to her senses. Her sister hit her with all her meager might sobbing. "Where were you? You were supposed to not let them get me!" Theta hugged her sister tighter accepting the abuse…she deserved it after all.

An inhuman scream of rage interrupted the reunion. Moving faster than its awkward appearance indicated possible, the creature lifted the Bishop with one hand and slammed him into the great glass window. "_Worthless! Parasite should died long ago!_"

Struggling to breathe the Bishop attempted to get the creature's attention. "L-look behind you." Incensed the monster ignored its follower's attempted warning. As such it was unprepared for the twenty metal spears Theta had created from her sister's cage and sent flying into the beast's back.

Both the monster and the Bishop screamed in agony as the metal weapons pierced through both of them and imbedded themselves in the glass. Within seconds cracks spread from the point of impact. They spread rapidly forming a spider web of cracks across the glass's surface.

Both Theta and the doctor monster stared in shock as the huge window trembled. To her left the doctor sighed and put his head in his hands. Theta's face flushed as she shifted from foot to foot…oops.

With a resounding crash the glass shattered.

()

David glared up at the smug Splicer standing over him. He had tried running uphill to slow the Splicer down…it hadn't worked. Apparently the Splicer had more endurance then him. "I hate you…I really do…"

The rat faced Splicer just grinned. "The feeling is mutual Davy Boy the feeling is mutual."

A sudden rumble shook the city and made the Splicer pause in his act of murder. Both David and the Splicer stared in shock as the cathedral began to spew forth an oceans worth of water. The water demolished everything in its way before following the slope downhill. As they both stared in shock at the water steadily filling up the cavern David voiced what they were both thinking. "Umm shouldn't we get to higher ground before the water gets up here?" Without even looking at the bemused human Barnum took off in a dead run cussing all the way.

David stood as quickly as his sore body would let him before moving after the Splicer. "Yeah…that's what I thought."

()

Theta, Amanda, and the monster doctor ran up the walkways, desperately trying to get as high as they could before the ocean filled the interior of the cathedral. The only reason they hadn't already gotten overtaken was the fact that the cathedral's door had given out while it didn't solve their problem it at least slowed the water's ascension.

A monster appeared before Theta in a burst of red smoke. With the casual ease of someone who did this all the time, Theta bashed him upside the head and tossed him over the railing. She watched with a twisted fascination as the monster's body neared the rising water. A second before it impacted something exploded upwards from the water. Freakishly elongated fingers securing its prize the aquatic abomination fell back into the water with a victorious shriek. Theta moved on with renewed determination. There were more of those things…great.

When Amanda tripped Theta simply scooped her up and placed her on her shoulders. She couldn't afford to stop now. The doctor monster was slowing down panting desperately; Theta glanced back at him and was surprised to see tears in his eyes. The monster was crying…

Despite his tears the monster persevered gesturing ahead of them he spoke. "We have to reach the Bishop's abode, the bathysphere he promised you is there." Theta felt grudging respect for the panting monster, even though all of his friends were dieing around them he was trying to fulfill his promise to David. Well…she assumed he'd promised David that he'd help her, she doubted he would have left him otherwise.

Theta could see the exit to the Bishop's inner sanctum; they only had a bit farther to go! Unfortunately the incoming water didn't care about that fact. As they neared the exit there was a great groaning noise that seemed to come from all around them. With a final protesting groan the cathedral's outer wall finally gave in. The sudden collapse destabilized the rest of the building and Theta could feel the walkway they were on beginning to fall.

Both Amanda and the doctor screamed as the water rushed towards them. One of the aquatic beasts leapt from the water, heinous hands raised towards the falling trio. Remaining calm, Theta grabbed her screaming sister and the flailing doctor. She dematerialized aiming for a spot high above Haven. She wouldn't hit anything unless there was shrapnel flythrough the air…she _really_ hoped there wasn't shrapnel flying through the air.

()

David and Bevis were side by side, climbing a pair of ladders that led to the top of one of the rocky outcroppings that dotted the walls of the rapidly dieing city. Something impacted the base of the ladders. Pausing to look down, David was horrified to see some sort of aquatic Splicer tearing at the supports. He redoubled his efforts to reach the top. Getting eaten by the creature from the black lagoon was _not_ on his to do list!

Bennie's ladder lurched violently almost upsetting his grip. He was able to hold on but lost his hold on his cleaver in the process. His enraged howl echoed around the drowning city briefly as the knife spun away into the water. "I liked that knife!"

Panting David reached his destination. Turning he paused to look down as Billy; he was about three feet below him but could go up no further. The aquatic abomination had managed to pull his ladder partially free from the wall and was rocking it back and forth, a gurgling sound that might have been a laugh floated eerily up from the beast. With the sound of tearing metal the beast ripped Ben's ladder fully from the wall.

As the evil Splicer began to fall David had a foolish urge jolt through him. Before he could think of the possible ramifications of this action he lunged forward and caught the hand of the Splicer before he could fall to his death. Groaning with effort he managed to pull the cussing Splicer up to his level.

They both sprawled out on their back panting in exhaustion at their close call. The frustrated cries of the monster faded into the background as it moved somewhere else to hunt. Slowly a rumbling laugh emanated from the exhausted Splicer. He propped himself up and looked at the wary human with a huge grin. "That was without doubt the most _idiotic_ thing I've ever seen!" Still chuckling he held up a finger and after a second pulled a razor sharp knife from his sleeve. "Surprise!"

With a defeated sigh David lay his head back down. "Really Bubbadub, really?"

The Splicer stood up gnashing his teeth in rage. "My name is Banes! Banes you idiot! Just once call me Banes!"

David just sighed again, to tired to keep fighting. "I like Bubbadub better. It's more fitting. It's short for Beelzebub. You know…cause you're the _Devil_."

The Splicer howled in laughter, tears of mirth spilling from his eyes. "I think that's the first nickname you made for me that I actually liked!"

His howl of laughter turned to one of impotent rage as, with a terrified scream, David went flying into the air.

()

David slammed into her with enough force to spin her like a top, still screaming like a mad man he latched onto her by instinct. From her place on Theta's neck Amanda screamed in abject terror as they spun towards a watery grave. Holding onto Theta's arm the doctor was more reserved, deciding to settle for simply chanting shit repeatedly.

Theta spun in the air, managing to get her feet placed beneath her. Erupting from the oncoming water, an aqua Splicer leapt up at them, unnatural hands extended towards its prey. Theta impacted the beast feet first, her bare feet crushed the monster's teeth with a satisfying crack. Theta didn't stop to congratulate herself, once more she dematerialized.

She rematerialized a foot above the catwalk that led to the Bishop's sanctuary. She landed on her feet before collapsing in an exhausted heap, her legs felt like jelly. From his position on the ground next to her David laughed near hysterically. "People are _not_ supposed to fly!" The doctor next to her cursed softly as he looked at the destruction that tore through his home. Her sister groaned and sat up. "Sissy…lets not do that again." Theta nodded her head; she was not planning on making a repeat of that performance.

Slowly, every muscle in her body protesting the action, Theta got to her feet. She'd never been so tired before, though to be fair she'd never teleported so much in such short notice. She glanced at the others lying on the ground around her, she'd never teleported with more then two people before either.

Theta gently picked up her sister as the doctor slowly got to his feet. Tentatively eyeing the gasping human she walked over to David, carefully extending a hand. For several seconds he stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face. After what seemed like an eternity to the nervous Protector, he gently took her hand. Despite the protesting of her sore body she pulled him to his feet giving him a tentative smile as she did. Not bothering to return the smile he turned and walked over to the edge of the walkway.

He looked out over the drowned city frowning deeply. After several seconds the water appeared to finally level off and the water stopped rising. From their position on the catwalk that draped around the stalactite they were safe. David sent her a cold look and gestured to the destroyed city. "Your doing I imagine?"

Theta whimpered, lowering her head in shame. It had been an accident! She didn't mean to break the window! David's cold look morphed into a glare. "Do you have any idea how many people you just killed? Not to mention the people you vindictively tore limb from limb!"

Theta shook her head, tears blurring her vision. She'd been scared…so scared. It had been like the room again she had wanted more then anything to leave, _needed _more then anything to leave. "What about the people who prepared our food? What about the people the made your dress? Did they deserve to die?"

Theta shook her head with a sob…she was sorry. "What about Andrea? Did you kill her too? Did you kill her for saving your life?" The vivid image of the she-beast's terrified tearful face as she had forced hornets down her throat flashed before her eyes. As another sob shook her thin frame Theta nodded.

David took a step towards her, voice nothing more then a hiss. "If you expect me to thank you for saving me from a disaster _you_ created you are very mistaken." Theta nodded her head with a sob, she deserved this. David turned from her with a disgusted snort, entering the Bishop's home. He paused before sending one last remark over his shoulder. "And burn that dress, I never want to see it again."

Theta stared in shock as her friend left. Her hands were shaking and tears were sliding down her cheeks. It was Daddy all over again, just when she'd opened up to him, just when she'd begun to feel safe around him he abandoned her. Without a word the doctor followed David into the building tears in his eyes as he watched his home die.

Her sister turned to her, small hand moving to cup her cheek. "It's okay Sissy it was an accident. They'll see that eventually." Theta shoved her sister away from her with a sobbing hiss. She deserved this! It was her fault! She was a monster! Worse then any other! After several more minutes of silence her sister entered the building as well, a teary sniff following her as she left.

Theta stared into the new lake as she wallowed in her misery…if she jumped how long would it take the abominations to strip her to the bone?

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><p><em>These rapid updates are not the result of writing steroids but the result of a relaxing vacation. As such there is no need to worry about me, the risk of overdosing on life is quite minimal. Anyways bad jokes aside, please read and review. If you'll excuse me I need some sleep, I'm getting a bit slap happy.<em>


	27. The Next Step

Banes sunk his cleaver into the malformed head of the Aqua Splicer with a wet crunch. It collapsed to the ground before sliding back into the water, joining the dozens of its brethren that had already fallen to the crazed Splicer's blades. "Come on you ugly little shits! There's hundreds of you and just one of me!"

Another pulled itself up onto Banes' rocky outcropping warily keeping its distance. Banes snarled at it earning a hiss in response. When it showed no signs of attempting to close the distance between them Banes simply pulled a blade from a compartment in his coat and hurled it at the beast. The blade buried itself in the creature's eye earning an agonized scream as it fell back into the water.

Banes spun around, teeth bared, looking for his next challenger. He found it as a hand grasped his ankle in a strong grip. With an effortless heave the creature pulled him off of his feet and into the water. The beast's mouth as it lunged at him met steel not skin. The aquatic abomination screamed in pain as the cleaver dug into its face. Banes grinned to himself as he saw the creature sink into the murky depths followed by several of its cannibalistic brothers.

He felt more hands grab him, pulling him beneath the surface. Banes twisted around hacking and slashing at anything within reach of his blades. He knew he was a dead man, but if he was going to hell he might as well bring as many of these freaks there with him as he could…

()

Theta scrubbed viciously at the dried blood that seemed to cover her as the lukewarm water flowed down her naked body. The blood burned her skin, marking her as impure, marking her as a monster. She had to get it off; she just had to get it off. She stifled a sob; she'd done as David had asked. Her once beautiful dress was a pile of ashes on the floor. The rational part of her brain told her that her dress had already been ruined by the blood. On the other hand the irrational part of her told the rational part of her to shut the hell up.

Theta felt her legs give out from under her in the shower. She felt…remorse for her actions. To her surprise it wasn't just because David had disapproved, she remembered seeing the tears in the doctor monster's eyes. There had been monsters that had shown her kindness; at the time she had assumed they were trying to gain her favor but what if it had just been honest kindness?

Theta groaned she missed the days when everything was simple, when the world was black and white. She had enjoyed her life, protect the innocent and kill the wicked it had been simple. Now though, now there was grey…she didn't know how to handle grey…

With a sigh she stood and left the shower, she still felt dirty but it wasn't the type of dirt that could be washed off. Glancing around the room, Theta had an unwelcome realization the only item of clothing she had had been her dress. The dress that was now ashes…Theta groaned why couldn't anything be simple?

Theta wrapped her towel around herself and moved to the door. Before she could leave a thought came to her. David had acted embarrassed and uncomfortable when she'd taken off her dress, now she was near naked. She didn't want him to get angrier then he already was…

Theta came to a decision, opening the door slightly she stuck her head out. Fighting back the surge of self loathing it brought with it, she began to use her mutilated voice box. Short slightly raspy yelps echoed from her lips. Theta had to resist the urge to bite her tongue; she _hated_ the unnatural noises she made. They were a cruel mockery of the voice she once had, nothing more.

After a minute of emitting the humiliating sounds Theta heard someone approaching. A second later the doctor monster rounded the corner. His intelligent gaze found her wet head and shoulder sticking out of the crack in the door; his only response was a raised eyebrow. With a sigh Theta used her arm to gesture to herself. The doctor monster's eyebrow rose further. "It would appear you are either offering to have sex with me," Theta emitted a disgusted shriek. "Or, much more likely, you want clothes?"

Theta nodded to his second guess, face flushed with shame. The doctor monster left without further fuss. He returned a minute or two later with some worn woman's clothing that looked to be fitted for a short fat woman, Theta sighed that was just about the opposite of what she needed.

Still she couldn't complain, she grabbed the clothing from the monster's offered hand and with a slight smile returned to the bathroom.

()

Amanda was glaring at him again, David sighed to himself it wasn't as if Amanda actually comprehended the fact that her sister had just killed hundreds of people. "You're mean." The casual completely serious way she said that made it all the more hurtful. David took solace in the fact that if she actually understood what her sibling had done there'd be a good chance Amanda would be agreeing with him.

"You made Sissy cry." David sighed again, resigning himself to bear the brunt of the little girl's hostility for the foreseeable future.

()

Leo stood silently in the corner arms crossed, looming over Dr. Lamb's shoulder. He was quite good at it, looming that is. You could almost say he had a natural talent for it, well if you counted Splicing yourself into a monster a natural talent. He was a huge man, roughly seven feet tall, he was dressed in a custom made suit, and his shaved head reflected the light of the room's overhead lamp. His appearance had been carefully perfected over the long course of his career to embody two things, calm professionalism and ruthless efficiency.

He glared at the little man sitting across from the doctor, daring him to lie. The Splicer answered Lamb's questions with a trembling voice, pointedly not looking at the hulking man behind the intimidating woman.

Lamb was questioning the man about why her spies in the heretic family's compound had fallen silent. He seemed to be of the opinion that the compound had been destroyed. Rumors said that there had been a Big Sister spotted in the vicinity of Haven before it fell off the grid. Leo disliked rumors. It was like his Grandma used to say, 'rumors are a lot like a hooker, good for some fun but not very helpful with business'.

Lamb stood slowly giving him a nod. "Stay here Mr. Stevens; Mr. Morrow will give you your reward." The twitchy Splicer jittered nervously as he watched Lamb calmly leave the room. The door closed behind her with a hiss. For the first time in over an hour, Leo moved. With the calm self assured grace of a wolf he circled around the small man.

"So…the Doc promised me a reward if I came through for her. Do you got it?"

"Yes." Leo's voice was gravelly and rumbled deeply from his chest. Before the small Splicer could react Leo lashed out, mammoth hands grabbing the man's head he gave an effortless twist. The man fell forward onto the table, head bent at an unnatural angle. Leo nodded to himself satisfied, good there was no mess. It was like his Grandma used to say, 'why waste carpet cleaner when you don't have to'.

()

When she left the bathroom, having made a makeshift belt from a towel, Theta was surprised to find the doctor monster waiting for her. "May I walk with you?" Taken aback by the fact it was asking her permission she nodded meekly.

"David was right about you." Rage and hurt almost overwhelmed Theta before the monster continued. "You aren't just some mindless protector." She calmed quickly and nodded with a sniff; she missed the David that defended her…

Apparently seeing her reaction the monster tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. "Give him some time to calm down; he hardly seems the type to hold grudges." Theta laughed sadly judging from the fact he'd been willing to work with her so soon after they had been trying to kill each other she was inclined to agree.

"I want to show you something." Curious despite her mild mistrust of the monster, Theta followed him into the Bishop's private quarters. Snorting in disgust at the opulent surroundings she felt her heart stop and the tentative feeling of joy bubbling in her chest. There at the foot of the bed was her armor. It had been placed upon a mannequin and had been even further repaired then when she'd last seen it. Someone had polished it, it almost sparkled! With a happy cry she leapt over to it, eagerly inspecting every little aspect of the familiar armor.

The doctor chuckled softly at her enthusiasm. The noise he made attracted her attention back to him. "For what it's worth I know it was an accident. He'll see that, don't worry." Theta smiled despite her tears, the doctor was trying to comfort the person the destroyed his home.

Carefully observing the strange individual Theta gestured to herself and then the marking on her armor's glove. The doctor smiled. "Yes I know your designation is Theta, and I know your name is Samantha."

She smiled and nodded before gesturing to him. He seemed surprised but responded. "I am Doctor Aaron Thompson." He gave her an overly flamboyant bow. "Though everyone calls me Thompson."

Theta stuck her hand out with a serious look on her face. Tentatively Thompson took it and for the first time Theta shook the hand of a monster. "It's good to be 'formally' introduced." She smiled slightly and gave a nod in response. She was glad she had saved his life; Thompson seemed like a good man.

()

Leo circled his two opponents cautiously, as his opponents did the same. They were young, maybe thirteen or fourteen, and had yet to fill into their lanky bodies. Admittedly judging from what he had seen of their older siblings most of them never did grow into their bodies.

Without warning the smaller of the two lunged at him with an earsplitting shriek. He sidestepped her easily and grabbed her outstretched arm. Using her own momentum against her he slammed her into the floor. Face its usual bored mask he twisted the arm in his grip, with a pop and a pained scream the girl's shoulder dislocated. He continued to apply torque, readying himself to rip the foolish girl's arm from its socket.

Before he could, her larger sibling slammed into him. They rolled together briefly before she managed to sink her teeth into his shoulder. Pulling his hand back he slammed his toaster sized fist into her stomach causing her to cough and release him. His head lashed forward its crown hitting her nose. With a pained squeal she rolled off of him, hands clasped over her blood spewing nose.

He stood easily and walked to the smaller one. It was trying to relocate its shoulder. When it saw him it began to whimper and attempted to scoot away from him. Pulling a foot back he kicked her in the ribs with all his might. Her pained scream hurt his ears. Confident that he had severely injured but not killed her, Leo walked over to the counter on which his belongings rested.

He calmly grabbed one of his magnums. Whirling around with all his augmented speed he pistol whipped the larger one across the face, breaking her nose again. As it reeled backwards he grabbed it and pushed it towards its friend. "Stand there." Despite herself the adolescent Sister followed his order, standing awkwardly over her coughing and crying friend.

Deftly readying the gun he handed it to her. "Kill her." The girl stared at him, yellow eyes wide with shock. "You heard me." Hand shaking the girl pointed the gun at her trembling sibling's head. Before she could pull the trigger Leo caught her hand. "No, _kill _her." Choking back a sob the girl nodded, before she adjusted her aim to her sibling's belly. With a bang the gun went off, cleaving into the sobbing girl's leech.

The injured girl screamed in pain as she stared at the small hole in her stomach. Deftly grabbing his gun from the limp hand of the horrified girl, Leo grabbed his belongings and left locking the door behind him. The girl should see the life leave her friend's eyes, know that _she_ killed her. It was like his Grandma always used to say, 'if you don't face the consequences of your actions they'll bite you in the ass'.

()

David was eating when Thompson found him; the man had _that_ look on his face. "I talked to Samantha."

David couldn't help but sigh. "So now that I finally stop harassing you about treating her better you start to treat her better." Thompson simply sent David a mild glare. "Look I know, I know."

Thompson hmmed doubtfully. "I was there David. As much as I'd like to hate her for what she did it was an accident."

David sighed again, feeling horrible. "I'll talk to her; show her I don't hate her. I just…need a bit of time."

Thompson's glare deepened. "Fine, I'll talk to her after I eat dinner. What are you my Dad?"

Thompson chuckled softly. "God I hope not!" Patting the tired human on the shoulder Thompson left to find the only member of the group he wasn't acquainted with.

()

Harper glanced around in boredom. Sandy was in her room no doubt crying or brooding. Tony was doing maintenance on his gun…_again. _Jack and Tenenbaum were discussing their plans alone in Tenenbaum's room.

Finally deciding to do something, Harper stood and walked over to the bookshelf. A familiar book caught his eye. Grabbing Moby Dick from the shelf he moved to take a seat and allow the book to take him back to his childhood. As he settled into his seat he vividly remembered his father reading him this very book. He opened the book to the first page-

Static burst from the handheld radio resting on the kitchen counter, with a surprised yelp Harper leapt from his seat tossing Moby Dick across the room. A piano began to play from the radio. Harper was unfamiliar with the song, seemingly going from fast to slow and loud to quiet at random. Despite the dissonance the music gave off it had a twisted beauty to it a warped sense of unity united the otherwise disparate parts into a beautiful, if disturbing, whole. The piano dropped off into the background and a charismatic voice began to speak.

Eyes widening in shock Harper leapt to his feet and ran to Tenenbaum's room. Not bothering to knock he barged in, receiving a glare from Jack and a raised eyebrow from Tenenbaum. "D-Dr. Tenenbaum, s-somebody's asking f-for you on the r-radio."

Instantly Jack was on his feet walking towards the living quarters, Tenenbaum and Harper close behind. When they entered the living quarters Jack froze, his face going pale. The radio message must be set to repeat because the music was playing once again. Harper glanced at Tenenbaum and saw that she too was growing pale. From the small radio a voice echoed once more. "Doctor Tenenbaum…I know you can hear this. It has been far far too long my old friend! I wonder…has Little Moth followed your flame once more unto the breach?"

()

Lamb's scouts had confirmed the destruction of Haven. They had also given her the location of the heretic's last mission. Leo stood in the entrance of Suchong's private lab, calmly surveying the dozens of broken tanks and the dozens of twisted bodies that lay among the shards of glass. Unimpressed with the carnage Leo signaled for the Splicers under his command to advance.

Two dozen of Lamb's most faithful followers entered the complex; they split up whenever they came to a fork in the hallway making sure they thoroughly explored the entire complex. Leo knew exactly where he was going however, along with some shriveled over spliced fool he headed to the Adam storage room. They were not surprised by what they found, it had been striped clean. Leo sighed as the over spliced freak next to him struggled to hold back his sobs.

Gunfire echoed from somewhere in the complex. Leo's hand flew to his radio. "All teams radio in, now."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Five. Ow! Sorry four."

"Five."

"Seven."

Leo waited for several seconds. "Team six do you read?"

Static.

Leo rolled his eyes; if they had their radio turned off he'd kill them himself. "Alright you know what to do, spread out and look for team six. I want regular radio contact."

Gunfire echoed suddenly from a hall to his right, readying one of his magnums he headed towards the sound. "T-this is team three! It got Rory!"

Leo flipped on his radio. "Describe the hostile."

The Splicers panicked breath caused intermittent bursts of static to grate on Leo's nerves. "I-I don't know! It was big! And it-" The Splicer's voice cut off with a scream. If only people were as professional as him. It was big is hardly helpful intelligence. It was like his Grandma always used to say, 'unintelligent help is worse then no help'.

Within a minute Leo found the remains of team three. The two Splicers had been torn apart, savaged by some sort of animal. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye Leo aimed and fired. A mammoth creature fell to the ground, a small hole just above its left eye. Leo frowned; he'd been aiming for the nose.

It turned out the dead Splicer's description was accurate, the beast had been big. It had probably stood at about nine feet in height, its body covered in bulging muscles. Its spine appeared to have broken through the skin of its back giving it a hunchbacked posture. There were many cuts on its back; they looked almost like stretch marks that had stretched until they could stretch no more. Leo raised an eyebrow, what a strange creature.

"All teams this is Leo, the threat has been neutralized." With a savage scream the 'neutralized' threat slammed into his back.

()

David found Samantha on a balcony overlooking the recently flooded city. She leaned against the railing shoulder length hair the color of flames hanging down into her face. She was wearing clothes that had clearly belonged to someone much fatter then her; a makeshift belt held the pants up and her bare shoulder peeked out from the collar of her shirt. Hearing him approach she glanced at him before turning away, head bowed in shame.

David moved up next to her and leaned against the railing. "Hey." He resisted the urge to kick himself. Hey, really?

Samantha glanced at him tentatively yellow eyes struggling to hold back tears. David felt a surge of guilt; she was almost childlike she didn't always understand the ramifications of her actions. "I don't hate you. You realize that right?"

Samantha tilted her head to the left in confusion. "I was upset. I-I know you didn't mean to but what you did was horrible. Do you understand that?"

Samantha nodded turning her head away from him, hair falling into place and hiding her features. David reached towards her, grabbing her chin he gently turned her to face him again. He could easily see the tears that leaked from her eyes. She sniffed tearfully and opened her mouth. Moving her lips slowly and purposefully she mouthed one phrase repeatedly. "I'm sorry."

David smiled at her. He gently pulled her off of the railing and wrapped his arms around her, after a second her arms wrapped around his back as she buried her face in his neck. Slowly running circles on her back David reassured his crying friend. "I know you are Sam, I know."

They stood there for what seemed an eternity. With time Samantha calmed down, she stopped crying and simply held him while letting herself be held. After several more minutes Samantha pulled back slightly, her tumultuous yellow eyes stared into David's steel blue ones. David smiled slightly at her, attempting to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere. The turmoil in her eyes gave way to determination as Samantha came to a decision.

Trembling like a leaf, Samantha tentatively pressed her lips against David's.

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><p><em>Read and Review! That is all!<em>


	28. Illusions of Choice

_Sorry about that. Apparently the site saw fit to veto my first attempt at posting this chapter. Anyways without further inane babble here it is._

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><p>Almost as soon as it had begun the kiss ended. Theta lurched backwards as if burned, her common sense only now turning on. David looked confused, very confused. Theta kicked herself mentally, she was such an idiot. "So um…what was that?" Theta's mental kicking became mental strangling, could she go die now? That'd be nice.<p>

David stepped away from her looking uneasy; his hand left her bare shoulder as he did. Theta hadn't even noticed his hand on her shoulder but now that it was gone she felt cold. She wished she could go back in time and undue her idiocy. It wasn't as if she had many friends, she didn't want to lose one of the precious few she had.

Theta opened her mouth on instinct before closing it with a snap; it wasn't as if she could explain herself to him. Her self loathing kicked in as once again she was reminded of how inhuman she was. She was envious, so envious of others. They took their voices for granted. There were times where she almost wished she was a monster, they might be deranged but at least they could speak.

David seemed to sense her frustration; he took a tentative step towards her. He was obviously afraid she would kiss him again. He didn't need to worry about that, she knew what she was. Her eyes glowed an eerie yellow, her freakishly pale skin had a slight greenish tinge to it, and she was abnormally tall and thin. She was a freak, a monster, a failed experiment. She'd always been alone, why should that change now?

David's hand extended slowly as he moved to comfort her. Theta didn't want his comfort; she turned to flee but was stopped as his hand caught her arm. "Hey now, am I really that bad of a kisser?" Stop please just stop. Seeing that his attempted joke if anything made the situation worse David changed his tone. "This involves both of us doesn't it?" Theta nodded hesitantly wishing he would just let her leave.

"Well then let me have a say before you abscond into the wild green yonder." Theta sighed mentally; she didn't want to hear empty words of comfort. Conveniently, David did not use words. Gently cupping her cheek he pulled her in for a quick kiss. When he pulled away Theta couldn't help staring in shock. She was distinctly aware of heat spreading across her face. David gave her a half grin that made her stomach feel fluttery. "Glad you didn't run off?"

After a moment's hesitation Theta tackled the surprised human in hug.

()

Leo slammed into the bulkhead door before falling to the ground. The mammoth creature that was attacking him appeared to be some sort of bastardization of a Gatherer. Its glowing eyes and regenerative capabilities attested to that fact. Happily Leo knew how to handle Gatherers. Pulling his knife from its holster in his boot he dove forward.

The blade sunk into the creature's belly without any resistance…at first. An inch in and the blade jolted to a stop, all the strength Leo was putting into the stab had nowhere else to go and so the blade broke. Roaring insanely the beast grabbed him and tossed him through the air like he weighed nothing.

Groaning Leo got to his feet. That should have worked; there was no reason it shouldn't have. Warily watching the beast as it lumbered towards him Leo saw the answer to why his attack failed in the cut that was rapidly healing. It appeared to have some sort of boney growth extending down from its rib cage that protected its organs…and consequently the leech that supplied its regenerative abilities. That was not good.

Now while Leo wasn't a coward, he was a realist. His team was not equipped to deal with something like this. It was with absolute confidence he gave them the order to hold positions. Shooting the oncoming monster in the head, Leo left Suchong's house of horrors. By the time it recovered he'd be far enough away that the other members of his team would be much more appealing food. It was like his Grandma always used to say, 'why die when others can do it for you?'

()

Thompson getting acquainted with the final member of their party had been…interesting. The little girl had appeared wary of him at first, the second he agreed to help her find a Pep Bar her tone had changed completely. It had surprised Thompson how human the little girl had been, though from his interactions with Samantha he really should have known better.

Despite her engaging personality and apparent willingness to converse with a monster, she was obviously still gripped by the indoctrination that kept Little Sisters from realizing the horror of what they did. The thought that one day she would realize the true nature of what she'd been doing saddened Thompson. While he could not help her when that time came he would do his best to give some true fond memories she could look back on.

Carrying the chocolate covered girl on his shoulders, Thompson set out to find her older sibling and their human friend. It was a quick search; all he had to do was follow the sound of laughing. Samantha's laughter was interesting; it had a raspy quality that made it almost sound like a growl. He was glad he had talked David into comforting the upset protector, the last thing they needed was an emotionally unstable Big Sister on their hands. In Thompson's opinion there were far too many of those already.

The sight that awaited them on the balcony was so unexpected that Thompson didn't actually process what he was seeing for several seconds. David was straddling a thrashing Samantha tickling her, while she showered him with halfhearted blows obviously not actually attempting to dislodge the grinning human. Moving one hand to cup David's cheek she whined softly causing the human to grin further. "If you insist." David leaned down kissing Samantha softly on the lips.

"_Eeeeeewwwww_!" David jumped, hands brushing against Samantha's apparently sensitive sides. Samantha yelped in shock and flailed her arm, whacking David soundly upside the head. The human tumbled off of her with a pained grunt. Samantha's yellow eyes found a bemused Thompson and her disgusted sister, face turning a truly remarkable shade of red she moved to help David off of the floor.

David stood wobbly, supported by Samantha. "You hit hard…" If possible her face flushed further, she quickly hung her head obviously hoping to hide behind her hair.

Thompson gave David a half hearted glare. "I said make it up to her, not make out with her."

David took a step towards Thompson; he immediately lost his balance but was caught by Samantha. "I'll have you know I did not plan this."

Thompson merely raised an eyebrow. "If you say so. Now come on, let's get the bathysphere." Sadness once again flitted across Thompson's features. "I don't want to spend any more time here."

Cautiously, Samantha released David. Seeing that he could stand on his own she rested her forehead against his. Looking apologetic she brushed the tips of her fingers over the bruise forming on the side of David's head. "I know you're sorry, I'm okay. Now go get your armor and let's get the hell out of here."

()

Leo walked into Lamb's office unannounced, something that was almost unheard of. That action alone was enough to convey the importance of what he had to say. "Something was loose in Suchong's labs, some sort of experiment based on the Gatherer."

Lamb nodded, her icy blue eyes watching him like a hawk over her horn rimmed spectacles. "I take it the rest of your group is no longer with us?"

Leo nodded, face expressionless. "It regenerated incredibly fast; I left them behind to distract it so I could inform you of the situation myself."

Lamb studied him shrewdly for several seconds before her lips twitched with the barest ghost of a smile. "You did well. You fought it, what would you recommend in dealing with it?"

He was unsure of how to respond; while he had fought it briefly he hadn't gotten the best read of its abilities. Oh well it was like his Grandma always used to say, 'when in doubt of an enemies abilities it's better to overestimate then underestimate'. "I'd say explosives, sustained fire, and dismemberment. Hit it hard and hit it fast, don't give it time to recuperate."

Lamb's smile widened slightly. "Once again you prove that you are an intelligent man Mr. Morrow, but why destroy what we can use? We should study it further; see if we can find out what motivates it." Dr. Lamb leaned forward, hands clasped before her. "As you well know Mr. Morrow, if you find out what motivates an individual you find out how to control that individual."

()

Theta couldn't remember ever being this excited before! They were in the bathysphere on the way to Mother's hidden fortress. When they got there Mother would reward her for saving her Sister. And seeing David and Thompson's contributions to that effort she would make them honorary parts of the Family! David would be able to stay with her and she could live the 'happily ever after' she thought denied to her so long ago.

David smiled at her; it appeared her excitement was infectious. Leaning over she rested her head on his shoulder, relishing the feeling of safety he gave her. His hand found hers and he gave it a tight squeeze. "After all we've been through this is almost over."

Theta smiled up at him, it was nice to see him truly smile. Theta could tell the difference between his real smiles and his mask, he was a good actor and it had taken her a while to catch on but she could tell. In his real smiles a crease almost perfectly between his eyebrows appeared and his nose wrinkled ever so slightly. She lunged forward planting a quick kiss on the crease on his forehead. His face formed his now familiar baffled look. Left eyebrow raised just so, lips tilted in an unsure half smirk. Theta giggled, something she hadn't thought herself capable of, and smiled at the confused human. When had she learned to read his expressions so well?

"You are a strange individual, you know that don't you?" Theta laughed lightly and nuzzled into his neck. That may be true but she was his strange individual.

Thompson politely cleared his throat, earning the duo's attention. "I'm not sure about going to the Family; they aren't the most welcoming to outsiders."

David pondered what Thompson had said, forehead creased with worry. With a soft whimper Theta reached upward gently massaging his forehead. She didn't like those wrinkles, they meant he was concerned. David looked down at her for a second before asking the question she had known was coming. "Is that true?"

With a lazy groan Theta sat up from her comfortable position and nodded. Before David could get too alarmed she motioned to herself then everyone else and shook her head. Showcasing his impressive ability to understand her 'language' David verified his understanding with her. "They won't mess with us as long as you're there?" With a proud hum Theta nodded.

Thompson sighed nervously. "I hope you're right."

A nonchalant voice came up from the floor. "You owe me a Pep Bar, you know."

David paused looking amused and leaned down to look at Amanda. "Was that directed at me?"

Still idly playing with her Daddy doll Amanda gave him a reproachful look. "Of course I was talking to you. I told you to just kiss her and it would make everything better and it worked."

David smirked at the young girl, amused by her obsession with Pep Bars and all things chocolate. "If that is true then why were you so horrified when you saw me taking your advice?"

Amanda's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Just because I recommended you do something didn't mean I wanted to _see_ it."

()

Clyde ran his legs burning in agony and breath catching in his throat, he had to leave. Behind him he could hear the agonized screams of his lifelong friend Thomas as that monster attacked him. He was the last; he knew that without a doubt. They had all remained in radio contact, they had all heard as they were killed one by one.

They had thought they stood a chance, they had thought they could defeat it. It wasn't until there were only six left that they realized Mr. Morrow had abandoned them. That fact had been the last straw in the Splicer's already fraying moral. Unfortunately Suchong's labs had been built like a maze; to a panicked individual who was unfamiliar with the area finding your way out was very hard.

Clyde felt a tear slide down his cheek, if he'd listened to Thomas and taken his directions they would both have escaped from that nightmare. But no, he'd been too stubborn to listen and had insisted they take the right turn not the left. Now Thomas was dead and after taking the left turn at the same junction Clyde could see the bright lights of Olympus Heights.

The lights as they blinded him briefly gave him a rush of relief, he'd made it out. A roar proved him wrong. It was still coming! Turning he sprinted into the main atrium of the tower, he could see other Splicers ambling around in the distance. Waving his arms frantically he rushed towards them. "Help! Help!"

Inside the room that held the secret entrance he could hear the monster blundering around, it must have been blinded by the light. "You have to help me!" The monster's enraged howl echoed around the tower, the distant Splicers scattered like roaches. An enormous hand wrapped itself around his head. Clyde found himself suspended four feet off the ground as the creature held him up to its face. Its blank yellow eyes showed only hunger.

Pulling forth his shaving razor, Clyde dug it into one of the monster's glowing eyes. Shrieking in pain it threw him away, clutching at its face. Time seemed to slow as he soared through the air. One hand still clutching its bleeding eye the beast smashed aside a support column. With a thundering crash the level above the beast fell directly onto it. The sudden weight broke the column supporting its level. As a result the beast, along with several tons of rubble, was sent flying down the several story drop.

As he fell to what was likely his death Clyde smiled, at least he wouldn't be alive when the creature consumed him. Clyde hit the ground with a wet crunch; his ribs were shattered on impact sending sharpened fragments of bone into his organs. Howling as it fell the beast landed next to him, it landed on its back screaming in agony as its deformed spine broke. Its screams, along with Clyde's life, were ended by the several tons of rubble that followed.

()

David was incredibly nervous. As the Bathysphere docked Samantha pulled on her intimidating helmet. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before moving to open the door. With Amanda placed in her basket Samantha stepped confidently from the Bathysphere intimidating helmet glaring reproachfully at any Splicers that looked at her.

After surveying her surroundings for a second or two she motioned for her companions to join her. Slowly they stepped out onto the dock. Many of the Splicers readied weapons but a single growl from Samantha ended their brief hostility. Gesturing for the two to stay close, Samantha headed deeper into the complex.

She took the twists and turns like someone who clearly knew where she was going. Whenever a Splicer saw them they warily cleared the way for David's intimidating friend, angrily eyeing the outsiders in their midst. After several minutes of twists and turns David was hopelessly lost. Thompson leaned over to him. "This is a mistake, we shouldn't be here."

David sent the man a sharp glare. "You don't trust Sam?" The Splicer just shook his head with a sigh obviously anxious to see this over and done with.

Samantha stopped and David glanced up. A man was blocking the doorway at the end of the hall, judging from his size he had to be a Splicer. He was around seven feet in height and built like a train. Unlike the brutish Splicers that David had seen before the man's body wasn't grotesquely swollen with muscle. He was built like a body builder but not to the freakish proportions of most muscle bound Splicers. His head was shaved bald and his jaw was square. He was wearing what must have been a custom tailored suit; there were two bulges on the sides of his chest. David would have bet money they were guns of some kind. His intelligent grey eyes surveyed Samantha and her entourage with something like detached amusement. "You're late."

Samantha growled dangerously, nodding once towards the door. "As you wish princess." With a slight smirk the man turned and opened the door. He held it open as they passed before following them inside. Casually leaning against the doorframe he readied himself to watch what unfolded. David felt a slight thrill of fear at the man's positioning of himself. He was sending a subtle but clear message, you leave through me.

"Who are these Sister?" A surprising tall woman was standing from her place at a desk. She was striking with blond hair and prominent cheekbones. She might have been pretty if it wasn't for her eyes; they held all the warmth of an arctic night.

From atop Samantha's shoulders Amanda introduced them. "That's Mr. Ordinary and Doctor-Man, they helped us get here!" Despite the situation, David sent Thompson an amused glance. Doctor-Man? Thompson pointedly ignored him.

The woman walked slowly around her desk, frosty gaze studying the two new arrivals. "Dr. Aaron Thompson, I'm surprised to see you. What was it you said last you saw me? If I'm going to join a cult I might as well join one that admits it is one?"

Thompson shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "Something along those lines."

The woman, who from the name plate on her desk David learned was named Dr. Sofia Lamb, narrowed her eyes at the doctor. "Mr. Morrow, take the doctor to rehabilitation."

With a respectful "Ma'am", the giant of a man grabbed Thompson by the scruff of his neck and dragged him from the room.

Needless to say David was far from pleased. "Sam! What the hell was that?" Samantha shifted her weight guiltily from foot to foot, refusing to meet his gaze. Dr. Lamb turned her cold gaze onto David with a raised eyebrow. David couldn't help but shiver it was like she was seeing though him.

"And who are you? You obviously aren't from Rapture."

"My name is David Kristoff." He held out his hand, when Lamb pointedly ignored it he continued with a sheepish laugh. "I was shipwrecked and found the lighthouse. I eventually met Amanda and after trying to save her from S-Theta we worked together to get her back safely." If the woman noticed his slipup when saying Samantha's name she didn't let it show.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't want something."

Feeling growing unease from the woman's piercing gaze, David shifted from foot to foot. "I…um yeah. I wanted to ask your permission to use a bathysphere to leave. I-I have a family and they need me." Samantha stiffened next to him, stifling a gasp.

"And what would you tell your family?"

David paused, he hadn't really thought of that yet. "I-I don't really know." A nervous laugh. "It's not like they'd believe the truth."

"And if they did?"

"I, what?"

"What if they did believe you? What ruin would the governments of the world bring to _my_ family?" David felt his heart stop; it wasn't supposed to be this way.

"I-I don't rightly know, but I wouldn't tell anyone about you if you didn't want me to." Samantha shifted; apparently she was sharing David's growing unease.

For the first time in their conversation Lamb smiled, it was not a comforting sight. "I have a counter offer. Stay, become a part of the Rapture Family." Next to him Samantha nodded excitedly, David felt guilt dig into his heart as he prepared his response.

"I-I can't. I appreciate the offer Dr. Lamb, but I already have a family."

Lamb's face if possible became colder. "Are you really so selfish? I have a daughter, and I have forged her into a selfless being a member of the _Rapture_ Family. Look around you. From the Ashes or Andrew Ryan's 'utopia' _we _have forged a true utopia. Don't you see? _We _are utopia, _together_ we form something greater then we could ever have done alone."

The woman was charismatic he'd give her that; a small part of him was inclined to agree with her. "I respectfully decline Ma'am, my family needs me."

All pretenses of kindness vanished instantly. "If you won't help the Family willingly you shall do so unwillingly. Sister, immobilize him and take him to join the next generation of Protectors."

David looked at Samantha eyes wide. She was looking between the two of them whimpering. "S-Sam?"

A kind smile spread across Lamb's face. "The Rapture Family demands sacrifice from all of us Sister. Remember, the Rapture Family _needs _you to do this."

Samantha turned to face David. "Sam? What are we-" With a flick of her wrist Protector M2 Theta sent the shocked human flying into the wall, he landed motionless on the ground. As the dust settled the only sound in the room was the horrified cries of a small child.

* * *

><p><em>Well that is the end of part one. Such a happy ending. Don't worry Theta, David, Amanda, Thompson, Harper, Tony, Sandy, Jack, and Tenenbaum aren't done with me yet. There's more to come.<em>


	29. Family Reunion

The Arch of Tantalus was a large stylized archway that marked the entrance into the Rapture Aquarium. On its walls were two representations of a starved man. The first was reaching toward a fruit bearing branch _just_ out of reach, the other was straining to get access to a puddle that was _slightly_ too far to attain. Tony grimaced at the vaguely disturbing art, damn it now he was hungry. He was crouched behind one of the fallen columns that lined the entrance, holding his trusty LMG. Next to him crouched Harper a compact crossbow held in his slightly trembling hands. On the far side of the entrance way, somewhere amid the rubble Jack and Sandy lay in wait.

The radio crackled to life and Tenenbaum's accented voice drifted out from it. "They are heading your way, get ready. Remember neither Jack or myself have seen this type of Protector in action, expect anything."

Next to him, Harper's reedy voice sounded. "W-we are waiting for Jack and Sandy r-right?"

Shooting the man a glare Tony nodded, they'd been over this many times before. "For the last time _yes_! When you hear them open fire, start shooting."

Harper nodded and closed his eyes. Tony could just make out his nervous whispering. "Red is explosive, blue is electric, yellow is incendiary…or is that red?"

"You were right the first time, don't second guess yourself."

Harper paused looking at Tony in shock. Tony snorted. "I don't need you blowing it up instead of burning it and killing someone."

"Oh…o-of course." Tony winced at the obvious disappointment in the man's voice. Harper wore his emotions on his sleeves, something Tony was not used to in the slightest. A haunting moan echoed from within the aquarium. It sounded almost whale like, mournful and ethereal.

Tony ducked down behind his cover, Tenenbaum had claimed it would ignore them until angered but he wasn't taking any chances. Thundering footsteps signaled the monster's approach. Seemingly not feeling the need to hide, Harper stuck his head into the open. "H-holy hell! It's h-huge!"

Tony sighed in exasperation. "Yeah they told us it would be."

"Red is explosive, blue is electric, yellow is incendiary." Despite himself, Tony peeked over cover to see what exactly he was soon to be shooting at. Harper had been right, that thing was huge. Its armor appeared to be a hodgepodge of assorted pieces of metal strapped awkwardly together by leather buckles and ropes. Atop its right shoulder was something…a gun maybe? It appeared to be made from a modified wooden crate. Tony couldn't resist the urge to laugh a bit, sure this thing was big but it was covered in scrap metal!

"Red is explosive, blue is electric, yellow is incendiary."

A grenade landed next to the lumbering monster. It reacted instantly, grabbing the little girl who was walking beside him and sheltering her body with his own. To Tony's surprise it was still standing after the blast, this thing was tougher then it looked. On the other side of the room Jack and Sandy opened fire on the beast. Taking their cue, Tony and Harper followed suit.

The child was screaming in panic, yelling for her 'Daddy' to 'unzip' them. Tenenbaum had warned them of the little girl's attachment to the monsters. Her warning hadn't prepared Tony for reality though. He couldn't help feeling like the bad guy. The beast turned to Jack and Sandy, who were doing the most damage, and tossed some sort of metal ball at them. It landed between the two and opened up. To everyone's shock it was a miniature turret, a miniature turret that began to shoot at Sandy and Jack.

Satisfied that two of its enemies were distracted the beast turned to them. Tony couldn't help but smirk as it aimed its horrifying wooden barrel at him. "What the hell's it going to do? Launch tomatoes?" With a whoosh some sort of rocket blasted from the barrel. "Oh shit…" Before Tony could be exploded however he was shoved out of the way by Harper who immediately dove behind cover. If the beast had been intelligent and aimed at their cover and not them that would have been the end of Harper. Happily for the small man the beast wasn't intelligent and so the rocket shot off down the hallway.

Rolling to his feet Tony grabbed his weapon and opened fire, the creature recoiled as his gun spit death at it. Unfortunately his attack earned the beast's ire; with an animalistic scream of rage it shot a missile towards him. The missile was luckily quite slow moving and thus fairly easy to dodge.

Behind it Tony saw Jack pick up and hurl the now green turret at the beast. When it landed the turret deployed and immediately started attacking the Big Daddy. Tony couldn't help but be impressed; he'd have to ask Jack how he did that later. Sandy was screaming in rage as she fired the heavily modified pistol Jack had given her. When Tony had first seen the gun he had laughed, it had looked almost cartoonish! Having seen it cleave a Splicer's head in two earlier that very day he had a certain respect for the strange weapon.

The beast was weakening its inhuman roars now more like pained moans. There was a flash of light and the beast stopped. To Tony's surprise it was quite literally frozen in place. He was never going to get used to those freakish powers. Next to him Harper was muttering to himself. "How the hell do you use this? There's not even a trigger!"

Tony sighed, apparently after heroically saving his life Harper had reverted back to incompetent hanger on. "There's always a trigger Harper, it wouldn't be much of a weapon otherwise."

Harper glared. "I've ch-checked the entire d-damn thing! There's n-no trigger!" He jerked the weapon angrily, to the surprise of both him and Tony the crossbow fired. A red tipped bolt punctured the one of the frozen beast's portholes. A second later the entire torso and upper body of the beast exploded in a pulpy mess, liberally spraying blood and gore across the entire area.

Laughing uproariously, Tony slapped the smaller man on the back. "H-holy hell Harper! _That_ was a nice shot!"

Harper grinned briefly at Tony, proud of his accomplishment. That pride quickly turned to disgust. Turning away from Tony he loosed his stomach's contents onto the floor. "I-I never killed a-anything before…"

Still chuckling Tony walked out from behind his cover. "I swear Harper! You are the only man alive that could kill a _fucking_ golem and _still _look a pansy!"

"Th-thanks?"

Quiet sobbing ruined the brief brevity Tony had felt. The kid, how could he have forgotten the kid? She was a small little thing, thick brown hair framing her pretty little face. She was surprisingly tan; she probably hadn't been down here too long. Tony knew it wasn't his, it wasn't little Amanda he could see her blond head of curls a mile away. Tentatively hopeful he glanced to Harper and Sandy. Unsurprisingly they both shook their heads.

"Mr. Bubbles! Mr. Bubbles please don't leave me alone!" Christ! Did the kid really need to give the ugly brute a nickname? With a horrified gasp the girl saw the group who had surrounded her, the group who had killed her father.

Handing his machine gun to Sandy, Jack slowly approached the trembling child hands raised. "Shhh, it's okay. Nobody's going to hurt you." The girl just scooted closer to her dead protector, whimpering pitifully. Slightly sad expression showing he expected nothing less, Jack reached down one hand grasping the girl's arm the other resting atop her head.

Yellow eyes closed.

A flash.

Blue eyes opened.

()

Thompson _glared_ at his guards, something they pointedly ignored. Unable to attract others he could deflect his blame onto he was unable to help directing it inwards. He had been such a damn fool. He had known, he had known the damn girl was a fucking machine. But _no_ he had to get taken in by crocodile tears spilled from acidic yellow eyes! He had to listen to some idiotic overly lonely human who apparently only wanted to get in the damn thing's pants!

With a frustrated groan Thompson hit his head against the wall a few times, letting the dull pain distract him for a bit. He felt a brief pang of guilt, he couldn't really be mad at David after all he was as much a victim here as he was. The poor fool hadn't been in Rapture long enough, he was still trust others to believe they could be the exception to the rule. As crippling pains coursed through Thompson's body he was reminded of a time when he had thought himself the exception to the rule.

The door to his cell groaned open and was shut with a crash. Tiredly his eyes found the mammoth form of the man that had dragged him here in the first place. Cold eyes gleaming with a cruel delight he dropped a suitcase onto the small table next to the door. With a soft click the latches were popped free and he opened the case. One side was lined with health kits, Thompson knew well the near magical properties the distilled Adam inside them held. Humming happily to himself the mountain of a man reached into the side of the case Thompson hadn't seen and began to unfasten straps.

Thompson tried to act bored he knew that even now, before the torture really began the man was trying to break him. He was pointedly standing between Thompson and the side of the suitcase he hadn't seen. This allowed his imagination to conjure up all sorts of horrid things they might be. Casually the man pulled a large well cared for knife and set it on the table. "I don't know if you know this but I was quite the hunter topside." The man's voice was gravely and surprisingly quiet; he placed another smaller blade next to the large one. "I had this _incredible_ room in my house just filled with trophies." He said all of this very calmly, like he was discussing the weather. A razor sharp pair of scissors was calmly set next to the blades. "I had many sorts of trophies. Skulls, antlers, stuffed animals, tusks, teeth…_skins_." The man leaned forward, a soulless gleam in his eyes. "I always skinned the animals myself."

He stood calmly, grabbing the largest knife and absently began wiping some grime off of the blade. "As a doctor I'm sure you know the human body can last for _hours_ if skinned correctly." The man smiled in satisfaction with the blade and pulled a chair over, sitting right in front of Thompson. "And you know something? With that supply of med kits, I can skin you again, and again, and_ again_."

Despite his best attempts, Thompson felt himself begin to tremble slightly. The walking mountain smiled at this show of fear. "Good, I know you're not one of the mindless ones. There's no fun in breaking something that broke long ago." The giant of a man knelt before Thompson, an ice cold smile spread across his lips. "I'm going to ask you once, who were you working with?"

Thompson glared in defiance; he knew that if Lamb found out about Tenenbaum she would move to stop her. The Little Sisters were vital to that madwoman's plan after all. "I don't know what you're talking about; I don't work for or with anyone."

The bald man's smile grew wider. "I was hoping you would say that."

()

Protector M2 Epsilon stared at the rubble in bemused confusion. She'd been there only yesterday and there had been no pile of rubble, the balconies above her had been intact not collapsed. The mangled body of a monster lay several feet from the rubble; he appeared to have been eaten. It wasn't surprising in all honesty, the monsters were twisted abominations cannibalism wasn't much of leap for them. Her stomach rolled violently as she remembered her childhood she wasn't any better then the monster that did this.

A surge of pity flowed through her body as she stared at the broken body before her. Had he had a family? Had he had friends? Slowly Epsilon advanced on the corpse. His face was mostly whole; it apparently hadn't interested the monster that had done this. Crouching next to the fallen man she gently closed his eyes. Resting a hand on his shoulder she smiled sadly behind her helmet. It was okay, he was somewhere better now. He was surrounded by friends and family that had missed him.

It seemed wrong to just leave the man laying there. Still smiling sadly Epsilon reached out with her telekinesis. The rubble groaned as one by one its pieces began to levitate. They came together forming a roughly rectangular pad surrounded by what might have been called an alter. She placed wooden fragments at strategic intervals around the base. Being as gentle as possible she lifted the man's corpse by hand and laid him on the slab she had created for him. Despite the blood now covering her chest and arms she was glad she had lifted him personally, it seemed…disrespectful to treat him as she had the rubble.

Softly humming the tune to a song that had been important to her once, she lit each piece of wood on fire. They actually made fairly good imitation candles as long as she kept the fire from burning too quickly. Her alter complete she raised her hand and set the man ablaze. She supposed she could have left him at that point but she had preferred to stay. He had no one else and someone should be there to pay their respects.

Idly she found herself wondering what he had been like in life. Had he been a good man? A bad man? There was no way for her to tell. Not that it mattered; no one deserved to die like that. She was certain that she had never seen him before; he had a kind face though. She liked to think that he had died to save his friends, died for someone he loved…died like a hero.

Epsilon hummed softly to herself as the man burned, unaware of the tears in her eyes.

()

The man had left, after what seemed like years of agony the giant of a man had left. With deft, uncaring hands he had used the health kit on Thompson. It had saved his life, allowed for his skin to grow back, he hadn't been prepared for the agony healing would bring with it.

The man had left with a simple "see you tomorrow". Thompson didn't think he could handle going through that again. With a shudder he backed into the corner of his cell and let himself cry. For the first time in his life Thompson truly believed that there was no hope…

()

Epsilon set the three soda bottles on the floor of the airlock, still humming her mournful tune she turned and left. She had tried to find something more fitting but couldn't, she still felt guilty for putting the man's remains inside. The airlock door closed with a hiss, manipulating the controls with practiced ease Epsilon flushed the remains into the ocean. She smiled softly; he would help to create life. His death would breathe life into a different form. She hoped he would have seen the beauty of that idea, she could.

A familiar scent hit her nose, a Little Sister! Smiling happily, Epsilon began to head towards her smaller sibling. She could already hear the comforting moans of the child's Daddy. Turning a corner she saw them. Loosing a happy shriek she ran to the pair-bonded individuals. Her smaller sibling's face lit up with joy as she saw her. "Sissy!"

Epsilon caught her sibling with ease as she threw herself at her. "I missed you Sissy!" Epsilon hugged the petite brown haired girl, humming happily and soothingly as she rubbed small circles in her back. Pulling herself up, her sibling placed a chocolate encrusted kiss on her visor. Epsilon smiled at her from behind her helmet, she didn't care about the small chocolaty smudge the girls lips had left behind.

Happily bouncing, her sister moved away. "Sissy! You'll never guess what Mr. Bubbles and I did!" Epsilon nodded her head absently as her sister's babble faded into the background. She was staring at the girl's father; her ever watchful protector was ignoring Epsilon for the most part. His mind set on looking for threats.

Slowly Epsilon stood and tentatively approached the girl's guardian. It paused; giving her what she assumed was a curious stare before continuing its vigil. Without warning Epsilon lunged at the girl's father, arms wrapping around his armored bulk she wrapped him in a tight hug. He stood stock still for several seconds. After an uncertain moment the hand not holding his lance wrapped around her waist. He gave her a tight squeeze and a happy moan before lifting her off of her feet, gently spinning her in a circle before putting her down. Epsilon smiled behind her helmet; sure the Daddy was doing the same.

She knew he wasn't her Daddy, her Daddy was long dead. Still he was the next best thing. Humming happily Epsilon bumped her helmeted head against the Daddy's feeling her sister's arms wrap around her leg.

Simultaneously both she and the Daddy spun around, something was coming. It smelled like…like her sister? It smelled like her? There was no doubt it was like her…but different. Thundering footsteps announced its approach, casually loping towards them at a pace that was faster then most monsters could sprint something came into view.

It was large, very _very_ large. It easily was head and shoulders over both her and the Daddy. Huge muscles rippled along its mammoth body, giving it an intimidating aura that even she noticed. She could see that what appeared to be its spine had grown out of its back. On its forearms there were many small bone spines piercing the skin, from the look of it they would be quite painful. Its face was hideous small yellow eyes gazed out from two deep set eye sockets. Its small nose was bent at a surprising angle; it had obviously been broken at least once. Its mouth was huge, huge and surrounded by gore. Large, jagged, and serrated teeth lined its intimidating maw.

What was it…her brother? All thoughts of some sort of family reunion were put cast aside as she saw what lay on the thing's arm. Three ribbons, one red two blue, had been shoved onto some of the spines lining the thing's forearms. Epsilon recognized them instantly…they were the same kind her sister wore…the same kind she wore…

With a roar the beast lunged.

* * *

><p><em>I am aware that neither Sam or David were in this chapter. Frankly this chapter was getting long and I thought some suspence might be fun. Anyways as always please read and review. Next chapter should be up in a few days.<em>


	30. Progress of One Type or Another

As she shrieked her terrible battle cry, Epsilon's armor plated boot crashed into the beast's chin knocking its charge off course. Seemingly unable or unwilling to stop the creature slammed into the wall headfirst with a sickening crunch. It collapsed to the ground bleeding profusely. Her sister's Daddy ran past her, lance roaring its challenge. With a flick of her wrist Epsilon knocked him back a step. She pointed to his daughter and a hallway leading away with an imperious finger, she was not risking her sister!

The Daddy paused, seemingly torn, seeing the monster picking itself up off the ground it made its decision. With a mournful moan the Daddy snatched its daughter off the ground and lumbered away. The furious monster spun around and charged again. Smiling because her sibling was safe Epsilon moved to repeat her previous move. The beast was smarter then she gave it credit for. It caught her leg in its grip, growling savagely the monster spun in a circle and slammed her into the wall with all of its strength.

This thing was stronger then anything she'd ever seen! Unable to breath she was unprepared for its unnatural hands as they grabbed her, one wrapping around her head the other around her chest. The beast lifted her off the ground. Epsilon was struggling with all her might, trying to gain the mental focus to unleash her powers. Behind her she heard a slight popping noise, a sound she later realized were the monster's jaws dislocating. Before she could do anything it sunk its teeth into her shoulder.

Epsilon screamed in agony as its serrated teeth dug into her shoulder blade. Before she could attempt to defend herself the beast yanked its head back. With another agonizing jolt of pain it tore a chunk of flesh free from her shoulder and upper back. Epsilon found herself unable to move her left arm…

A large hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around; a great black maw was heading for her. Her right hand lashed out, flames spraying down the beast's throat. It fell to the ground writhing in agony. Ice coated her working arm, forming a large spear. Growling she drove it into the beast's chest, or at least tried to. Before she could the monster put its hand in the way. Her spear cleaved through the beast's hand, unfortunately the descent was slowed enough that it caught her arm in with its working hand.

Somehow it had recovered from a wound that would have taken her at least a day or two to recover from. Growling it tore its hand from the ice spear, mangling it further. It proceeded to lift her off the ground and slammed threw her into the wall. Before she could push herself to her feet the beast was upon her, screaming with directionless rage it stomped its foot into her spine.

Epsilon whimpered in agony and tried to pull herself away. The taloned foot crushed her again, she felt ribs break. The foot came down again; she was having trouble breathing. The foot came down again; she could no longer feel her legs. The foot slammed into her side and she rolled onto her back. Idly she wondered if anyone would take care of her body. Would anyone mourn her? Was she going to meet the man whose body she had taken care of?

The beast's foot rose.

Did she have any family? Real family? Would they miss her? Did they already? A happy thought crossed her mind. She was going to see Daddy.

The beast's foot rushed towards her head. She was coming Daddy. Protector M2 Epsilon died with a smile. Above her Rapture's new apex predator screamed its victory into the suddenly still air.

()

The shriek of the damned echoed in the still Rapture air. Simultaneously Harper, Tony, and Sandy stopped short. Voice a furious growl Tony started to run towards the source of the noise. "Its here!" Before he could charge to kill the monster that had taken his wife from him, Jack grabbed his shoulder.

"Tony we don't have time!"

Tony turned and using his superior size knocked Jack to the ground with a punch. "That thing killed my wife! MY FUCKING WIFE! If you expect me to let it go you are a fucking idiot!"

Rubbing a bruised jaw, Jack stood slowly. "We need to stick together; we need to look out for Sandra."

Tony's voiced lowered dangerously. "Then _fucking _leave! I'll kill that damn thing without your help!"

Tony ran down towards the source of the noise, before he could get more then twenty feet away a Big Daddy came sprinting down the hall. It checked the large man out of the way like he was nothing and kept sprinting, there was a small girl clinging to its back. Ignoring the Big Daddy Jack ran towards Tony. "Are you okay?"

Gunfire stopped jolted them both into combat mode. Harper was running to cover, hands positioned over his head. "W-what the hell's she d-doing?"

Sandy was screaming in rage, modified pistol firing nonstop at the Big Daddy. "Put her down you son of a bitch!"

Cursing Tony scrambled for his LMG, that damn girl was going to get herself killed! Already the huge metal abomination was charging at her. It was a different kind then the one they had fought, a mammoth drill was mounted on the end of one of its arms. Yelling a challenge in response to the monster's angered roars Tony lit it up, unloading his gun at the charging monster. Unfortunately the beast had set its eyes on the one who had started the conflict.

Sandy wasn't even backing away; when her pistol ran out of bullets instead of reloading she dropped it and pulled out her shotgun. She managed to get two shots off before the beast was within striking range. Before it could kill the foolish girl however, a bolt of lightning flew from Jack's hand. "Get the hell away from that thing!"

Seemingly at least somewhat shaken back to her senses the girl turned and began sprinting towards the group. The monster eventually shook off the stunning effects of the electricity and continued its charge. Before it could overtake the idiotic girl Jack shoved her out of its way with a burst of telekinesis.

Eyes focused on the monster Jack yelled an order for Harper. "When it happens shoot it with an incendiary bolt!"

Obviously panicking Harper began digging through the bolts obviously trying to debate if the red or the yellow ones were the incendiary. "Now!" Once again utilizing his telekinesis, Jack hurled a gasoline container at the beast. A second after it hit Harper's bolt impacted the beast's shoulder and instantly caught the oil on fire.

Taking careful aim, Jack fired a burst from his machine gun into the beast's oxygen tank. The tank ruptured and the leaking oxygen caught the flames. For the second time that day a Big Daddy exploded in a rain of pulp and gore.

()

Protector M2 Theta watched with detached interest as the monster she was holding coughed up blood. Theta pulled her arm back, the monster's intestine she held in her hand slipped further from its belly. She smiled in cruel satisfaction as the ropy organ reached the prodigious length of near twenty feet. With a pained moan the monster thrashed weakly, Theta laughed as it vomited forth blood. Her laughing stopped as the monster began thrashing, eyes rolling up into its head. To her disappointment it appeared to be drowning in its own blood, within a minute it was dead.

Deftly grabbing a sharp piece of metal, Theta sawed the monster's head from its shoulders. A head was adequate proof it was dead right? The monster had apparently gotten on the Mother's bad side, she had been sent to kill it. The order to kill something hadn't really changed her plan for the day. She'd been so angry lately and everyone knew slaughtering monsters was a great stress release.

Her mood darkened instantly as she remembered the reason for her current ill temper. She couldn't believe she had believed him. How would a human actually fall for something like her? She was a monster, a hideous abomination created to spread suffering wherever she went. She'd been an idiot to believe that _he_ was doing anything other then using her.

To think for several hours she had actually thought she might finally have some happiness in her life. He had been planning to abandon her! After all they had been through! She had been too shocked by what he had said to really do anything other then what Mother had told her; now though she wished she'd made a different choice…she wished it was his head she was holding in her hand.

()

Thompson _really_ wished there was something he could use to finish himself in his cell. The mountain of a man had just left. Thompson had only endured his 'fun' twice and he couldn't fathom enduring it again.

With a clank the metal flap that the Splicers used to give him food was pushed open. Still bleary with pain Thompson looked towards the small opening. There was a yellow eye peering back at him from the slot. "Doctor-Man? Is that you?"

Thompson stared uncomprehendingly at the obvious hallucination. The hallucination's voice came through the door again, this time sounding slightly sad. "Doctor-Man, did they make you cry?"

Seeing no harm in what was essentially talking to himself Thompson responded. "Yes, yes they did."

"I'm sorry…I don't know why Sissy did what she did…"

Thompson sighed, what good was a hallucination if it didn't give false hope? "So…how are you going to help me?" With a small gasp the eye pulled away and the flap fell shut. Great! Just great! Even his hallucinations were giving up on him.

There was the sound of something scraping at the lock. Thompson ignored it, it was always best to just ignore that horrible man. He always left quicker if he wasn't entertained. The door opened with the familiar groan of rusted metal. The soft padding of bare feet made their way over to him. A Pep Bar was unceremoniously shoved into his face. "I brought you this…" Thompson glanced at the hallucination; it was a perfect replica of Amanda. The not-Amanda shifted sheepishly from foot to foot. "…I hope you like it."

Seeing no reason not to humor his subconscious, Thompson moved to grab the nonexistent food item. Needless to say, he was quite shocked when his hand was able to grab not only the snack but Amanda's hand as well. "Y-you're real?"

Amanda gave him a funny look before nodding. "Of course I'm real Doctor-Man!" She paused, looking very confused. "Why wouldn't I be?" Before Thompson could respond, Amanda turned her head to glance behind her. As if hearing something that Thompson couldn't she nodded briefly. "Come on Doctor-Man." Her small hand grabbed onto his wrist. "Sissy wants to see you."

Thompson was slightly surprised but resigned himself to his fate, if that thing wanted to see him he'd go. Hopefully it would kill him. Amanda led him down the corridor and pulled him into a maintenance passage. She stopped at a crawl space before turning to him apologetically. "This place is kind of small…so are going to have to squeeze."

Dropping onto his belly, Thompson crawled after the little girl. After several minutes he finally voiced what was on his mind. "Why are you helping me?"

Several feet in front of him Amanda glanced over her shoulder. Thompson could clearly see her glowing eyes in the dark tunnel as they looked at him in slight confusion. "Sissy wants to see you…and I think you're nice."

Thompson felt a surge of affection for the small girl; she thought she was helping him.

()

Sandy refused to put the confused child down the entire trip back to their hideout. The girl, who was apparently named Carol, played idly with her sister's hair while casting shy glances at the other members of their party. The sisters were strikingly similar; they shared the same light brown hair, the same strikingly blue eyes, and the same rounded noses. They even shared the same laugh and smile. If it wasn't for their age difference Tony would have sworn they were twins.

Tony was absolutely furious with Sandy for her idiotic recklessness. She could have very easily gotten all of them killed. If she had explained the situation to them they would happily have helped her, recklessly charging at a monster with a drill for an arm had been moronic. Jack, while he also disapproved of her actions, seemed more sympathetic and had only scolded her immediately after the battle.

Harper, much to Tony's chagrin, seemed to be ignoring the fact that Sandy almost got them all killed. He was too busy chatting amicably with the other girl they had saved. Sandra appeared to be very outgoing and insatiably curious; she was asking Harper every question that came to mind. To Tony's surprise Harper was very good with the little girl, whenever she asked too sensitive a question he would simply find a way to change the topic of the conversation.

Tony sighed bitterly. He knew it was no one's fault but he couldn't help feeling resentment for Sandy. They had only been there two days and already she had found her lost sister. If only the fates had been as kind to him.

()

With a dull thunk the monster's head landed on Mother's desk. Theta stepped back, crossing her arms. The sooner they finished this the sooner she could go out and find something to kill. Mother raised one eyebrow behind her horn rimmed glasses. Leaning back calmly she gave Theta a disapproving look. "I would simply take your word Sister, bringing…proof is unnecessary." With a dismissive flick of her wrist she motioned for the bald giant to deal with the severed body part. Still looking at the head with distaste she nodded to Theta. "You have served well; you have the rest of the day to yourself Sister."

Not bothering to nod or show any other sign of deference, Theta spun on her heel and stormed from the Mother's office. She passed the bald giant on his way back from disposing of the head; he greeted her with a mock bow and a muttered "princess". Theta, who was already in a foul mood, had had enough. Growling savagely she shoved the larger monster into the wall. He didn't even bother resisting, he just grinned cockily at the enraged Protector as she leveled her Harvester with his eyes. "Always lovely to see you princess." Theta growled and moved her weapon closer to the obviously idiotic monster's head.

To her great frustration he still seemed unfazed with the obvious death threat. She moved her harvester nearer his face, its tip breaking the skin. His grin widened before he pointedly looked down. Slowly Theta glanced down, what she saw only further enraged her. The bald giant had somehow managed to pull one of its guns free and had it aimed directly into her stomach…and her leech. Loosing a disgusted huff, Theta dropped the arrogant monster. Casually holstering his gun he turned and headed back to Mother's office giving Theta a final cheery wink.

Shaking with rage, Theta headed towards the Little Sister dormitories. Maybe seeing Amanda would calm her down, as long as the little girl wasn't still furious with her that was…

()

The tall young woman standing before Thompson was not Theta. She was abnormally tall and thin, and her skin was pale, beyond that though the similarities ended. The girl had short brown hair, bright blue eyes, a kind and gentle demeanor that was instantly recognizable and looked to be a year or two younger then Theta. She smiled softly at the confused doctor holding Amanda's hand. "I'm glad you are free Dr. Thompson."

Needless to say, Thompson was suspicious of the young woman's motives. "Why are you helping me?"

The young woman's smile faded as she looked into space. "My mother is unnecessarily cruel sometimes. You did nothing wrong except refuse to believe as she does…you didn't deserve your punishment."

Thompson was torn, on one hand he wanted to get as far away from Lamb's daughter as was physically possible and on the other he was grateful to the girl for having something her mother lacked…a conscience. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you take Amanda with you? I can communicate with you through her if the need arises."

Though he was confused once again by the girl's ability to apparently communicate through Little Sisters, Thompson felt that it was the least he could do. After all, if he could find Tenenbaum he might be able to save the little girl. Still hesitant he nodded. A radiant smile lit up the young woman's face. "Thank you Dr. I knew you were a good person the moment I saw you. Amanda will guide you to your friend. David was it? She will then lead you safely to a Bathysphere station."

Still somewhat in shock at the recent turn of events Thompson nodded blankly. "Th-thank you."

The young woman nodded absently, head tilted to the side as if she was listening to something in the distance. With a slight jerk she turned her attention back to a bemused Thompson. "You must get going, Theta has found out about Amanda's disappearance. She is not pleased. Hurry, get David and leave before she catches you." Thompson opened his mouth to ask how she could possibly know this but was silenced as she pointed commandingly down the hallway Amanda was pulling him towards. "I will only be able to distract her for so long, you must hurry!"

Unable to think of a reason not to do as she instructed, and more fearful of running into Theta then he'd like to admit, Thompson allowed himself to be dragged down the hallway by his smaller friend.

()

"Ignoring him is just going to make him worse, you know that as much as I."

Tenenbaum nodded with a soft sigh. "We simply don't have the time to deal with Sander Cohen and his…sickness. We need to focus on saving as many children as we can." Jack knew Tenenbaum was right, he also knew that Cohen was not the type who handled rejection well.

Tenenbaum looked out through the one way mirror and into the other room. Within Sandy, Sandra, and Sandy's sister Carol were sitting around playing with several stuffed toys and dolls. Carol and Sandra were sitting on Sandy's lap and the young woman was idly running a hand through her sister's hair. The look of joyous disbelief she wore was palpable. Tenenbaum smiled softly at the sight. "Its times like this that make it all worth it Jack…"

"Yeah Brigid, it is."

()

Sandy ran her hands through her sister's dirty brown hair. She could feel the tears that ran down her cheeks but was too busy to bother wiping them away. Carol was older, paler, gaunter…but she was still her sister. She had the same smile, the same expressions, the same eyes. She was beautiful…

"Sandy, why are you crying?"

With a tearful laugh, Sandy brushed her hand against her sister's cheek. "I missed you love, I missed you _so _much!" For her sister it hadn't been very long, for her it seemed to be nothing more then a week or two. The reality was far crueler; it had been eight months since Sandy had last seen her sister's face.

Carol's memories were still fuzzy; she time spent inside Rapture's walls was a blur, a bad dream. Jack had told her that Carol's memories would solidify with time, though given that she had spent a fraction of the time that his daughters had she most likely never would fully remember the hellish place.

Tony was furious with her, she could tell. The man's experience with combat and life and death scenarios strongly disapproved of her reckless actions. She could tell that Jack had agreed with Tony but unlike the bear of a man he hadn't seen fit to send her murderous glares every three seconds. Sandy had lost a lot of respect for the large man. She knew that she had risked all of their lives, but how was that any different then his rush to kill the monster that had kidnapped their family members?

She frowned as she pondered her allies; the more she thought about it the more she realized she hadn't been right about them. Jack, while at first he had seemed distant and uncaring, had revealed himself to be a kind, if generally silent, man. Harper who was at times cowardly and awkward had shown himself to be braver then she would have thought possible several times. Tony who had seemed every inch the professional soldier seemed more and more gruff and at times almost cruel the longer she got to know the man. The only one who hadn't surprised her was Tenenbaum, the woman had come across as an intelligent and troubled woman trying to repent for her past sins, and that was pretty much what she was.

Pressing a soft kiss against her sister's grimy cheek, Sandy smiled truly for the first time in eight months. For the first time in eight months things were right in the world. It didn't matter if it was only for the next few hours, for now all was right in the world.

()

The first clue as to David's location was the screams. Agonized screams echoed down the hallway. Thompson had heard their type before, the type that a person gave off when screaming was all they could do. A pressurized door opened and Thompson saw his friend, he was strapped to a table several Adam laden needles injecting their contents into his body. The lone Splicer in the room dropped to the floor as Thompson overloaded the man's brain with a brief electrical charge.

David seemed oblivious to the sudden action; he simply lay on the table screaming as more Adam was pumped into his body. Seeing his friend in agony, Thompson dearly wished that that _bitch_ had let him inject him with Adam when he was trying to heal him. At least that way his first dose of the potent drug wouldn't have been the massive dose that was currently being forced into his unwilling body.

"Doctor-Man…why is he screaming so much?" Thompson gently opened the man's eye with his finger. The young man's eyes were unfocused, rolling about as if he was in a deep sleep. The earsplitting scream that forced its way past his lips as he thrashed against the table proved that he was anything but asleep.

Thompson shut the Adam injection machine down with the touch of a button. David's pained thrashing stopped as the machine shut down, his eyes remained unfocused blankly staring into space. Thompson sighed as he looked down at his human friend. "Oh you naïve idiot…what did they do to you?"

* * *

><p><em>Well next chapter is up. Sorry about the wait, my vacation ended and this chapter gave me a bit of trouble. Anyways as always please read and review.<em>


	31. Explosive Reaction

Their progress was slow at best. Thompson found himself having to support David and guide him where Amanda instructed them. The poor man was barely conscious, his eyes unfocused and blank. Lord only knew when he'd regain his bearings after such a large dose of Adam. David stumbled almost dragging Thompson down with him. Thompson was barely able to catch the larger man, he was exhausted and truth be told he wasn't sure he'd be able to get David to his feet again if he was uncooperative.

"Come on Doctor-Man, the metal bubbles are this way!" Thompson was unable to resist the urge to smile at the young girl before him. If they were able to get away it could make all the difference in the world for the small girl. If they were able to escape that little girl might just be able to regain her lost humanity.

They entered the almost empty bathysphere chamber slowly. A lanky Splicer leaned against the wall, his hat dipped down over his eyes. His snores rumbled through the small room, they turned into a brief yelp as Thompson shocked him into unconsciousness.

He awkwardly maneuvered the near unconscious David into the bathysphere. "Doctor-Man, are we leaving?" Thompson nodded at the small child smiling slightly at her.

"Yeah sweetie, we need to leave. Can you get in the metal bubble please?" After thinking about it the child smiled sweetly and climbed into the bathysphere. Thompson paused for a moment carefully checking the area for any potentially hostile Splicers. Seeing that the coast appeared to be clear, Thompson entered the bathysphere and sat next to the near catatonic David.

As the water rose steadily over the view port Thompson let loose a sigh of relief. At least the escape had gone well…

()

The last monster collapsed to the ground gasping for air fruitlessly around its crushed trachea. Theta stalked to the camera control station, manning the controls with practiced ease she gazed at the screens.

The monster suffocating on the floor grabbed her ankle gurgling for what she assumed was mercy. Theta crushed its skull dismissively, she didn't speak gurgle after all. She had been _very_ patient with the fools; she had tried to explain to the idiots that she had wanted to use the cameras to find Amanda. They had been too idiotic to understand her so she had been completely within her rights to kill them in various creative ways.

Much to her frustration, Amanda wasn't in any of her normal hideouts. Theta even checked the storage room where they kept the Pep Bars. Amanda wasn't anywhere! Frustrated with her complete lack of success she slapped the controls and turned to leave.

With a surprised yelp Theta slipped in one of the monster's spewed intestines. She landed on her back the air leaving her lungs in a whoosh. Theta sighed mentally she was covered in blood…that was great. She cast her gaze around the room from her position on the floor. That was funny…from the security footage it looked like an upside down Doctor Monster was guiding Amanda and _him_ to a bathysphere. Theta sat up slowly and turned around to get a better look at the screen.

The Doctor Monster _was_ getting into a bathysphere with Amanda and _him_! Surprise gave way to rage within seconds. With a scream of rage, she leapt to her feet. Slipping slightly in the bodies of the monsters she took off towards Mother's room, she wasn't about to let _him_ escape!

Theta stormed into Mother's office with a frustrated howl. Mother as always was unfazed by the childish display. "Is there something you want Sister?" Theta pointedly ignored the bald giant's muttered "calm yourself princess"; she wanted to murder that one so badly!

With a flick of her wrist she turned on Mother's view screen and brought up security footage. Deftly manipulating the controls with her telekinesis she played what she had seen moments ago. Mother as always seemed unperturbed by the unexpected escape. "Mr. Morrow, it would appear we have some escapees. If you would be so kind."

With a respectful "ma'am" the bald giant moved to leave, he was stopped when Theta unceremoniously hurled him into the far wall. Loosing a furious shriek she pointed at herself. For the first time in the meeting Mother showed a sign of emotion, her eyes narrowed slightly in anger or impatience. "Very well Sister, if you insist I won't stop you. Bring Dr. Thompson back alive. The outsider is too much trouble; the Rapture Family needs you to kill him."

Not bothering to further acknowledge the Mother, Theta turned and stormed away. For the first time in too long she had a purpose. Protector M2 Theta was looking forward to future bloodshed.

()

Leo pointedly waited a few minutes to be sure the bitch was out of hearing range before he voiced what he knew was on both of their minds. "Looks like Princess is becoming a loose cannon. We need to deal with her…soon." It was like his grandma used to say, 'once a tool is broken there's no use in keeping it'.

Doctor Lamb nodded her cold blue eyes staring down the hallway. "She is loosing control; the Rapture Family doesn't need uncontrollable monsters."

Leo stretched his shoulders slowly; attempting to work out the kinks that being tossed aside like a bag of puppies had left in his upper back. "You want me to make her disappear ma'am?"

The doctor opened her mouth to respond but was stopped when an out of breath Splicer stumbled into the room. "Doc Lamb, some of the boys found something!" The Splicer paused as if waiting for Lamb to ask what it was. Her slight raising of the eyebrow and narrowing of the eyes quickly corrected his notion. "The boys found a Big Sister! Something killed it! Tore it apart like it was nothing!"

For the first time in his life Leo saw Dr. Lamb's perpetually calm façade slip. "What? That's not possible!" Privately Leo had to agree, while careful orchestrated decommissioning of a Big Sister wasn't unheard of one being torn apart was unimaginable. Lamb rapidly regained her calm façade, once again in control she nodded to Leo. The bearer of bad news collapsed to the ground as Leo injected him with a sedative, a mental institution would make his claims of seeing a Big Sister die just the ravings of a mad man.

Having dealt with the foolish Splicer, Lamb turned to the security console. She began flipping through the feeds until she found one of a body that looked to have been torn apart. Flicking through cameras in that general area she began to follow the trail of the monster they both suspected was the culprit. They found it crouched over the body of what had at one time been a very large Splicer; it appeared to be eating the recently slain corpse.

For a moment Leo thought that it wasn't the same creature he had run into. It appeared to have grown at least a two feet since he had last seen it and was much more muscular. What appeared to be sharpened spines of bone were protruding about six inches from its forearms and elbows. Its spine that had once looked like it was almost ripping it in half seemed to be expanding, plates of bone beginning to form some kind of armor on its back. The fingers of its hands were longer then he remembered and appeared to have developed an extra joint, two in some cases. All of its freakish fingers ended in claws. As the beast tore a chunk of flesh from its latest victim Leo realized claws weren't the correct word. Jagged bone split open the tips of the monster's fingers and formed almost dagger length blades.

"Holy hell…I saw that thing not two days ago! It's grown like a fucking weed!" Lamb's only response was a slight nod. With shocking speed the creature leapt from its crouched position and turned to face down the hallway. It had its head raised almost as if it was…

"Search the way it's facing! I've hunted enough to recognize a predator catching a scent!" To Leo's surprise Lamb didn't object to his informality, she simply followed his orders.

After a minute of searching they caught sight of the creature's newest prey…two men and a little girl.

()

Jack had to resist the urge to smile, ever since Sandy had found Carol she had been much more cheerful. The young woman seemed to have regained her sense of humor. She was humming a gaudy tune to herself. Tony, who was walking beside her, seemed to be resisting the urge to snap at her for the obnoxious tune, a fact that she was surly aware of.

Overall the group's moral was at an all time high, they had managed to save two Little Sisters already and were well on their way to saving more. "Will you shut the hell up!" Even if he was in a good mood Tony still seemed to have a bit of a temper.

"Hey aging soldier man, how do you know the humming isn't my way of coping with all this crazy we've been subjected to? What if, by forcing me to stop, you are directly responsible for a mental breakdown?"

Much to Jack's amusement Tony was unable to suppress a smile. A Splicer came screaming around a corner, Jack effortlessly froze it and Tony obliterated its body with a short burst of fire. Jack was pleasantly surprised by how quickly his companions had adapted to fighting in mausoleum that was Rapture.

A Spider Splicer leapt at them from the darkness, it caught an arrow to the throat for its trouble. Jack grinned, it appeared even Harper was becoming a fighter.

The hallway they had been following opened up into a vast chamber that appeared to function as some type of crossroads. A perfect location for the ambush they had planned. Without a verbal command the group split up. They spread around the room, covering every entrance as if it was second nature.

All they had to do was wait for a Big Daddy and its charge to stumble into their midst and they were set.

()

Much to Thompson's relief, David was slowly regaining awareness of his surroundings. Thompson no longer needed to support the young man constantly, other then the occasional stumble David was walking at a steady, if somewhat slow, rate.

"Mr. Ordinary, are you better now?"

"Yeah…yeah Deb, I'm fine."

Amanda gave David a confused look. "Mr. Ordinary, I'm Amanda."

To Thompson's alarm David appeared confused for several seconds. With a slight shake of his head David released a shaky laugh. "I know Amanda. I'm just…I'm just tired."

"Oh, okay Mr. Ordinary. I missed you." Amanda's small hand gently grasped David's much larger one.

"Who's Deb?"

David sent the Splicer a confused look. "Who?"

"Deb that was the name you called Amanda."

"She was…n-no is, my sister." David paused, a look of deep concentration along with slight confusion on his. "S-she is my Sister, right? She is my family…isn't she?"

Needless to say, Thompson was concerned by his friend's apparent absentmindedness. "David are you sure-" The sound of metal scrapping on metal echoed down the hallway. Thompson spun around, raising his pistol. _She_ was there, standing at the end of the hallway. She calmly stalked towards the trio, dragging the tip of her harvester along the wall.

With a crack Thompson's pistol fired. Without moving a muscle she was somehow able to pull a metal plate from the wall and use it to block the incoming projectile. The incoming monster lazily flicked her wrist sending the metal plate rocketing straight towards his head.

Utilizing his own plasmids Thompson was barely able to deflect the incoming projectile from decapitating him. "David we need to run now!"

Turning to run, Thompson snatched Amanda off the ground and followed David in his sprint to safety. A brief jolt of pain hit him as a bolt impacted the back of his head. The first was followed by another, and another, soon there were dozens of the small objects were digging into his back. She purposely appeared to be holding back; instead of giving the bits of metal enough power to kill she was using them to inflict pain and insight panic. Something akin to a cruel chuckle followed their escape attempt, she was enjoying herself.

()

Theta's smile was hidden behind her helmet, this was fun! The doctor monster and _he _had kidnapped her sister; that act added an hour or two of torture to their pointless little lives. Dozens of bolts ripped themselves free of the walls and hurtled towards the monsters that had betrayed her. Unfortunately they rounded the corner not long into the bombardment.

Theta calmly ambled after the fleeing duo, purposely allowing them to distance themselves from her. After all what fun was a hunt without a chase?

It wasn't as if they could escape, she could effortlessly follow Amanda anywhere in the city. She was going to enjoy this immensely! The doctor monster she would kill fairly quickly, _he _on the other hand would be kept alive as long as possible. She was going to take her time with him.

To her frustration and shame she felt her eyes filling with tears. How could he abandon her? She had cared for him, let him into her family, trusted him more then she had ever trusted another and he had been ready to throw her away! She could feel flames licking along her body as she began to have trouble controlling her abilities.

Why had he allowed her to kiss him? Why had he returned her affections when he had known he was going to leave? What was the point in such senseless cruelty? Even she wasn't that vindictive!

Theta was interrupted from her brooding by something strange, she could sense a gatherer, a gatherer that was rapidly heading towards her. She glanced around in confusion; she could sense no protector near her sister. Her sibling was near and yet she couldn't quiet pinpoint her location.

Why couldn't she-a crash reverberated around the hallway causing Samantha to jump with a yelp. Where she had been standing only a second before the floor was warped upwards. A split second later there was another crash and the floor warped upwards once again. Something was on the level beneath her and it was trying to break through…

Theta paused, whatever it was seemed to be in the exact same position as her sibling. What was going on? She heard a monstrous roar coming from below her feet and the floor buckled upwards once again. Was that thing her sibling?

Gunfire reverberated down the hallway bringing Theta back to her senses. The doctor monster and _he _were getting attacked. No one was going to kill them but her! Incensed Theta tore off down the hallway, quickly forgetting the now inconsequential thing below her.

()

Sandy fidgeted anxiously in place. More then anything she wanted to get back to Carol, she had only just been reunited with her sister and she wasn't going to lose her again. She almost wished that something would happen; she'd never handled boredom well.

As it was she had been crouched down behind cover watching her hallway for what seemed like an eternity. If anything actually happened that needed her to move she was screwed, her legs had fallen asleep long ago.

She released a soft sigh and shifted in place. She wished she was back at the hideout, she wished she was back with Carol. Sandy's face flushed with guilt at the thought. It wasn't as if she didn't want to help the other little girls. She just wanted to spend time with her sister.

She heard a softly muttered curse drift across the silent room from Tony's position. The man's already questionable temper seemed to have only gotten worse since Sandy had found her sister. While Sandy found his constant foul mood tiring she could understand it, she doubted she'd have handled the situation as well as he had if their positions were reversed.

With a groan she shifted in place once again trying to regain feeling in her right leg. The uncomfortable pressure it put on her bladder was extremely unwelcome. Closing her eyes she gritted her teeth. She _needed_ to pee! Would the others get mad at her if she told them she needed to go? Sandy scoffed to herself. Tony would obviously get mad, Jack would most likely give her his patented slightly disappointed look, and Harper would probably blush and start spluttering.

Sandy couldn't resist smiling slightly as she rolled her eyes. It wasn't as if her being a woman gave her the power to-gunfire sounded from down her hallway. Sandy closed her eyes in exasperation; somewhere some old man in the clouds was laughing his ass off about this.

Within seconds Tony crouched down next to her. "See anything yet?"

"No but it's definitely heading our way."

Next to her Tony propped his mammoth machinegun against her cover. He casually lowered his eye so it was level with the sight and waited. By now she could see two figures running side by side in the darkness.

Seconds later they made it into the light and all hell broke loose. The duo shielded their eyes against the onslaught of light as they stumbled into the room. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as Sandy took in the two strangers. The smaller of the two was incredibly pale, about as pale as the other natives to this hellish city. He had a sad pinched face and twin piercing green orbs perched beneath his brow. The other was considerably larger but moved as if injured or drunk. He had relatively short brown hair and dull blue grey eyes.

Sandy's observation moved to what was held in the smaller one's arms. Her heart skipped a beat; to her complete shock the smaller of the two had a Little Sister in his arms.

Noise exploded next to her as Tony opened fire on the duo. His enraged yells were barely discernable over the gunfire. "Let her go you fuckers!"

Reacting with shocking speed, the seemingly dazed one tackled its ally behind what at one point must have been a Splicer's home. Within a second he popped out from behind his cover and fired a volley of shots from his pistol with pinpoint accuracy. Both Sandy and Tony barely had time to duck back behind cover before the shots sailed over their heads.

Time seemed to slow as they moved to return fire.

A horribly familiar scream started.

Sandy's shocked eyes landed on the figure in midair before her cover.

The scream began to rise in volume.

Tony and Sandy aimed their weapons at the monster.

The monster's blood red visor tilted up and met their gaze.

Their fingers began to squeeze the triggers.

The scream reached its peak and time resumed its normal speed.

A surge of telekinetic force exploded from the monster that had taken their family members.

The last thing Sandy saw as she hurtled through the air was the monster, its hands wreathed in flame, turning towards the two newcomers.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the wait. It's harder to find time to write now that I'm back from my vacation. While updates might take a bit longer then they did this story is far from dead, don't worry. As always reviews are eagerly anticipated.<em>


	32. Something's got to Give

They were cowering, the doctor monster was holding her sister to his chest and _he _seemed slightly dazed and confused as he watched her. Theta raised a flame wreathed hand casually; this was going to be fun!

Before she could begin, much to her shock, her sister blocked her way. Amanda was glaring at her defiantly, her yellow eyes narrowed in anger. "Don't hurt my friends!" Theta stood for a second, shocked into inaction. Amanda was ordering her around? She was the older sibling! Amanda had to listen to her! Before Theta could take action against her uppity sibling one of the other monsters intervened. A larger then average monster stood before her wielding some strange weapon she had never seen before. She was in no mood for this monster's silliness; with a flick of her wrist she shoved the monster onto its back.

Seconds later Theta's harvester plunged towards the large monster's head. To her surprise the monster reacted with shocking speed and rolled out of the way. Her rage spiked to a new level as her harvester hit the ground at an awkward angle and snapped. Releasing a savage shriek she kicked it in the ribs. The beast rolled several feet before coming to a stop. Once again showcasing its surprising speed it leapt to its feet, raising its unfamiliar gun it fired.

The monster's gun despite being far larger then any other fast firing gun she'd seen fired incredibly fast. Agony ripped through her as the bullets effortlessly pierced her armor and bit into her flesh. With a pop Theta disappeared and reappeared behind the dangerous monster. She swept her leg underneath its taking it off its feet. Before she could finish the beast more bullets dug into her back.

Loosing a frustrated scream Theta disappeared, she reappeared inside a vacated Splicer's hut. She hid for a moment taking stock of her injuries. Her body was riddled with bullets; while they weren't fatal they would slow her down. Much to her frustration she couldn't seem to catch her breath, one of the rounds must have pierced her lung. Theta sighed internally, that would take all day to heal!

She made a mental note to be careful of that monster's gun, it was particularly deadly. She took a moment to collect herself before she located the nearest monster. She appeared behind it with a cruel smile and tapped it on the shoulder. The monster, a small pitiful looking male, spun around with a yelp. He brought his arrowthrower to bear. Theta disarmed the whimpering beast with a flick of her wrist.

Before she could kill it something most unpleasant happened. Her head was suddenly encased in a block of ice. She couldn't help but scoff as she wreathed herself in flame. Her mocking laugh was cut short when she realized the ice wasn't going anywhere. Whatever was attempting to stop her was quite powerful.

She was unable to suppress her tears as she did what was needed. She released a concentrated burst of telekinetic power. Her helmet and the ice encasing it exploded outwards with the force of a grenade. She was sorry, Daddy would understand.

The monster that stood before her was confident; it didn't bat an eye as she bared her teeth and screamed at it. The only reaction she saw was a slight look of sympathy from the stupid beast. "I'm sorry I didn't save you." Theta snarled at the infuriating monster. She did not need its sympathy! "I wish I could have saved all of you."

With a scream Theta dove at the monster. It sidestepped and sent a concentrated beam of fire into her back. Theta spun around and dove at it again; she received a punishing blow to the temple with the damn thing's wrench. Theta narrowed her eyes; that hurt!

If it was going to use plasmids against her she could return the favor. Theta smiled to herself as she casually sent a pillar of flame towards the idiotic monster. The monster fled for cover barely keeping ahead of the flames. Theta shot another pillar of flame in front of the monster, cutting off its flight for cover. She was fair though, she dispersed the other one so it could still have a fighting chance.

The monster doubled back sprinting for cover once again. Theta cut it off from cover again with a smirk. It was such a good little rat in her maze. Theta heard the bang a second before agony tore through her. A single round from the large monster's big gun punched into her cheek. The bullet, as it slammed into her teeth, flattened increasing the damage it did as it exited her mouth. The entire left side of Theta's face exploded outwards as the flattened bullet and shards of teeth tore through her flesh.

The large monster hefted its _evil_ weapon onto its shoulder and laughed derisively. It was obviously under the misinterpretation that that shot was going to kill her. She hurled it through the air effortlessly as she loosed a gurgling scream of rage. As the beast hurtled through the air Theta snatched its weapon and sent it flying to the other side of the room.

While humans would be quite distraught to have their faces mangled horribly, Theta wasn't particularly concerned. She would heal after all it would just take time. She took one step towards the large monster before, with a feeble battle cry, the pitiful little arrowthrower wielding monster leapt onto her shoulders.

If she wasn't so frustrated she'd have found it amusing. Pain dug into her neck as the monster stabbed her in the neck. Where the hell did it get a knife! Loosing a frustrated shriek she tore it off of her back and hurled it away from her. She was loosing her patience!

A bolt of lightening stunned her briefly before an irritatingly familiar wrench hit her square in the eye. That was enough! Theta was going to skin all of them alive!

()

Harper groaned in pain as he assessed his situation. That thing had one hell of an arm! He had been hurled clean from the room. He must have rolled several feet down the hallway before coming to a stop. He glanced around briefly hoping to locate a weapon of some kind, he was disappointed. Gunfire from the other room reminded him of his friends' dire situation.

He moved to stand slowly and painfully. Surprisingly being thrown across a room by some sort of demon possessed banshee thing was quite painful. Booming footsteps announced the arrival of something new.

Trying to quell his growing sense of dread, Harper looked over his shoulder. He stopped moving with a yelp as a mammoth foot impacted the ground beside his head. Two serrated talons extended slightly from the warped piece of flesh with a wet shlick before flexing in place. Harper was unable to suppress a terrified whimper as another foot planted itself on the other side of his head.

A horrid gurgle escaped the beast standing above him. A stream of blood and chunks of meat oozed from its mouth before landing on the back of his head with a wet plop. The abomination shifted slightly head raised to the nonexistent sky. As quickly as he dared Harper crawled away from the thing, if he could just find his friends. He was unable to resist screaming as the beast's freakishly elongated fingers wrapped clear around his chest and it lifted him off the ground.

Suddenly Harper found himself looking into the beast's blank yellow eyes. The creature inhaled deeply bringing him closer to its twisted face. Was it smelling him? Without warning its lips pulled back in a snarl revealing jagged blood encrusted teeth. Harper was barely able to control his stomach as the beast's feted breath washed over him. He shivered in terror; he could clearly see bits of meat and cloth stuck between its teeth. It wasn't just an insane giant mutated monster; it was a cannibalistic insane giant mutated monster.

The beast opened its mouth revealing a long wart ridden tongue. There was an audible pop and the abomination's mouth opened even further. While Harper had never really thought much about how he would die, being eaten by a cannibalistic monster was not the way he had thought he would go. Unable to face his imminent death Harper closed his eyes in fear.

For several seconds Harper didn't move. Needless to say he was quite shocked when the monster tossed him aside carelessly and stalked towards the ongoing battle. Harper was baffled…did that _thing_ just let him go?

()

Theta's smile was mangled to say the least; her face having been horrendously damaged from the earlier shot could do little more then twitch. A constant stream of blood and saliva streamed down her front as her mangled mouth and cheeks could do nothing to stop it. The monsters that she had beaten probably couldn't even tell she was smiling. She could though, and that was enough for her. The largest of the three was pinned to a wall struggling to breath, his signature weapon pinned by an invisible force against his throat. The irritating female one was surrounded by metal on all sides unable to escape. Theta had a fire surrounding the irritants prison, already the metal was heating and it was screaming for help. The most formidable of the monsters was hovering in the air before her, his hands desperately grasping at the invisible hands choking the life from him.

The beast's arm turned black and twisted as wasps began to flow from it. Within seconds they were upon Theta, all it took was a quick burst of flames to exterminate the pathetic attack. Theta laughed, though it sounded more like a gurgle. The monster responded with a burst of telekinesis aimed for her face. While the attack knocked her head back and tore more of her cheek off it did nothing more then amuse her. Was this really the best these monsters had? While she would admit they had done more then most, it really was a futile effort.

Theta casually pulled a hand back; she'd never dissected a monster this powerful before. She couldn't help wondering what new surprises its body held for her! Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to have her fun while it was alive; she did need to kill _him_ after all. Even now she could see pity in the infuriating monster's eyes. She did not need its pity! Raising her mutilated face to the sky, Protector M2 Theta loosed a victorious scream.

Her scream was answered by an earsplitting roar that seemed to shake the room.

Slowly Theta turned her head to face the source of the noise. Upon locating the newest arrival she raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to do. It appeared her mysterious sibling had found her after all. Without warning or provocation it charged at her arms extended.

Theta was barely able to dive out of the way of her enraged sibling. Despite the situation she felt slight amusement as her brother backhanded the wrench wielding monster out of its way. Skidding to a stop her brother spun around and charged her once again. It moved with shocking speed and was upon her within a second.

Roaring with mindless rage it swung its clawed hands towards her head. Theta was able to dodge its first swing but was too slow to fully avoid the second. Again agony tore through her, this time as her beastly brother's claws raked across her face. The claws shredded the left side of her face and punctured her eye.

With a pop Theta teleported to the other side of the room, desperate to gain a reprieve from the vicious assault. She felt frustrated tears pouring from her still working tear duct. It hurt, god it hurt! What had she done to deserve this? A scream tore from her lips as her deranged sibling obliterated her hiding spot and dove at her.

Why was it only attacking her? Others had been closer to it she'd been sure of it. It was like it was only aware of her or simply didn't care about the others. Roaring insanely it swung at her again and again, despite her incredible reflexes she was barely keeping ahead of the monster.

This had to end now! Theta coated her arm in ice creating a mammoth spear. Despite her instincts telling her to run she leapt towards the beast. Ducking under its swing she rammed her makeshift spear into its chin. Her improvised weapon cut its mandible down the middle before exploding out the top if its head.

Relief brought her to her knees as the monster collapsed to the ground unmoving and dead. Stifling a terrified sob, she slowly stood to her feet. She had realized who it was; she had realized _what_ it was. The little boy, the one that had bit her when she was being taken from her prison, his horribly disfigured body was laying on the ground next to her.

If she had never been released would their places have been reversed? Would she be the mindless starving monster savaging people at random? The monster you could become was the most terrifying kind.

Shakily she stood and glanced around. The monsters were all incapacitated, while her plasmids had been disrupted the two males had passed out from lack of oxygen and the female was still trapped in her metal prison.

Theta slowly advanced on her ex-allies they were both crouched behind cover. The doctor monster had Amanda clasped to his chest and was glaring at her. Theta bashed his head against the wall knocking him into unconsciousness.

David sat before her; he seemed confused looking past her into the distance. He barely reacted when she grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall. His dazed eyes found her remaining one and a flicker of concern flashed through them. "S-sam?" Theta's undamaged eye narrowed in hate. "W-what happened to you?" Theta ground her teeth together in rage, and put more pressure on his neck.

A few tears flowed down David's cheeks as he looked at her in confusion. "I wanted to take you with me…show you the surface. What happened Sam?" Theta felt her heart clench inside her chest. What? He was going to take her with him? He was going to take her from Rapture? Gratitude welled in her chest. Would he take her back? Her hand tightened around David's throat fully cutting off his flow of oxygen.

Why was she hurting him? She was happy. Her hand clenched tighter. No, no! She needed to stop! Pain tore through her head. Whimpering Theta's free hand grabbed her head even as she tightened her grip on David's throat. David's panicked gaze moved from her face to her hand, his gaze silently begging her to stop. She was trying! His eyes flicked over her shoulder and grew more confused.

With a roar her monstrous sibling backhanded her across the head. Releasing David with a whimper Theta fell to the ground. She was barely able to teleport away before her demonic sibling attacked.

Rolling to her feet Theta loosed an exhausted whimper. She was so tired, she hurt so much. The beast spun around roaring and Theta's eyes widened in shock. Its jaw, which she had cut clean down the middle, had not yet healed. The monsters jaw was writhing, jagged teeth bursting forth from its flesh. Within seconds the mutation stopped and the monster's bottom jaw had transformed into two fully functioning semi-opposable mandibles.

The beast swung its clawed hands at her in a frenzy. Theta was barely able to stay ahead of its prodigious speed. Seeing a blow she would not be able to avoid Theta vanished. She materialized immediately behind the beast, using all of the plasmids at her disposal. Blow after blow rained down on the monster. It flailed around, attempting to end her life. Theta no longer bothered dodging she just teleported around the beast doing as much damage as she could.

The monster seemed unfazed by her attacks despite the damage she was doing to it. Unfortunately the beast seemed to be getting faster, or she was getting slower. Theta teleported around it once again but the beast seemed to anticipate her move. When Theta reappeared agonizing pain tore through her entire body. Slowly she forced her beaten and broken body to look down. Her brother's arm was inside her chest up to the wrist. She had rematerialized where its arm had been and now they were locked together.

Theta coughed and a large amount of blood surged forth. Slowly her pain filled yellow eyes moved up to meet her brother's blank ones. If she didn't know better she'd have said her brother was smiling at her. Slowly the beast's mandibles spread revealing rows of jagged murderous teeth. It grasped her shoulder with one hand before with a sickening crack it tore the other free.

()

Tony stared in stunned shock as that monster killed the child steeling bitch. The fist that had been inside the freak's chest was nothing more then a twisted bleeding lump of flesh. For some reason it had been solely focused on her, it had even left Harper alone.

Next to him Harper shook his head. "Th-that thing just let me go. Why?" As the monster crouched over its enemy's corpse, disfigured jaws opening, Tony had an idea. Slowly he made his way over to Jack.

"Give me some Adam." Jack just raised an eyebrow. "I want to see something, now give me some Adam." After a moments hesitation Jack reached into his pocket and handed Tony a small vial filled with a blood like substance. Before Jack could inquire about Tony's plan he popped the cork off the vial.

The thing froze immediately its head snapping up and its freakish gaze immediately falling on Tony. "Oh shit…" It was possible he hadn't thought through this plan.

"Tony…run!" As the beast screamed in rage and lunged to its feet Tony sprinted as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He didn't really need to be told to run, it was kind of a given.

()

Protector M2 Alpha watched the lure bob idly in the shallows. Its three pronged hooks vaguely reminding her of a monster's improvised weapon. She smiled behind her helmet as she wrapped the line around her arm. Bracing herself against a rocky outcropping Alpha heaved with all her might. Much to her disappointment only the rod flew into the water, the fisherman remained on the dock.

She drifted closer to the dock, her sharp gaze watching the elderly fisherman as he cursed at the sea that had claimed his fishing rod. The man paused, his brow furrowing as he stared at the strange red light in the water. Alpha smiled as the crotchety man stared directly at her in confusion. From her spot in the shallows and the moonless night the man was only able to see the light of her visor.

He would most likely just chalk the strange light up to his drinking or forget it the following day. However Alpha was bored…and she was in the mood to have fun. The elderly man screamed in fear as he was pulled through the air by and invisible force. He entered the water with a huge splash. The terrified man thrashed desperately as Alpha grasped him by the throat.

Alpha's harvester dug into the man's stomach. The near narcotic rush she felt as the man's blood entered her system intravenously was less potent then when a she feasted on a Rapture native. She knew that rationally she should feel nothing from the man's blood and it was most likely a conditioned response. That was what Mother had told her at least. To be honest she didn't really care, it felt good and that was the whole point.

The water was tinted red by the time the man was sufficiently drained. Carelessly letting his body float past her, Alpha surfaced slowly her gaze fixed on the house by the shore. Her heavy metal boots left a clear trail in the sand leading from the surf to the house's backdoor.

A wave of telekinetic force blew the door off its hinges with a thunderous explosion. Before Alpha stood a woman, her terrified gaze staring uncomprehendingly at the unwelcome entity entering her house. With a snarl a large animal with thick golden fur and a fairly pointed snout dove at her, Alpha hurled it twenty feet into the stone wall of the house with a flick of her wrist. It impacted with a crunch before falling to the ground unmoving.

The woman's shrill scream physically hurt Alpha's ears. She was upon the irritating woman in a flash. Forming an inch long ice blade on the tip of her pointer finger Alpha casually slit the woman's throat. She collapsed to the ground with a gurgle. A man appeared at the bottom of the stairs, he was wielding a metal bat. Before he could do more then stare in horror at his dying loved one there was the deafening sound of thunder as she began to electrocute the man. Channeling the lighting into his writhing body as his screams rose in volume she refused to let up. Within a minute the man's scream died in his throat as his life slipped away.

With a calmness of a hunter who knew its prey had nowhere to hide, she stalked up the stairs. An adolescent female was rooted in place in the middle of the upstairs hallway. Her terrified green eyes the size of dinner plates as she looked at the monster that had killed her parents. With a dismissive flick of her wrist Alpha sent a horde of hornets at the young girl with specific orders, to keep her alive as long as possible. The young girl's screams were music to her ears.

Her next stop was a _horribly_ pink room. Judging from the sound of terrified whimpering, her target was hiding under her bed. Alpha snorted with contempt, what a pathetic waist of skin. Without warning the child's bed was hurled through the window and into the lawn. The little girl screamed in terror. Alpha's nose wrinkled in disgust, she appeared to have wet herself.

Alpha lunged at her target and before the child could react her Alpha's hand had encircled her neck. The little girl's neck felt so exceedingly fragile in her hand, all it would take would be a little twist and the irritating child would be no more. Alpha wanted to snap the child like a twig, she wanted to _so_ badly. She had her orders though and this one was to be taken alive. After a minute of struggling the child went limp, passing out from oxygen deprivation.

Alpha turned to leave; she had done what she had gone there for. An unexpected sound halted her in her tracks. Crying sounded from a room down the hall, the helpless crying of an infant. Slowly a joyful smile spread across Alpha's face. She'd never done an infant before! This could be fun!

The child's room was blue and filled with idiotic toys and insultingly simplistic books. The infant itself lay in a crib, he writhed unhappily his small lungs wailing with all their might. Alpha looked down at the helpless being with disgust. It was weak, so _so _weak. It was unable to take care of itself. As she got a good look at its mouth she barely suppressed a laugh, the pitiful thing didn't even have teeth!

Giddy with a twisted glee, Protector M2 Alpha raised her hand and wreathed it in flame.

()

It appeared that after being treated like Samantha's punching bags the initially hostile group were considerably less inclined for violence. Still somewhat nervous about getting shot, David tentatively headed towards his fallen…friend? He wasn't really sure what Samantha was to him anymore.

She lay unmoving in a pool of blood. Her face was shredded down to the bone, blood flowing steadily from her mutilated mouth. The trail of three claws was clearly visible on the left side of her face. One of the claw marks had punctured her right eye and another had partially severed her nose. There was a mammoth hole in her chest where the monster's hand had been wrenched free.

Despite himself David felt a surge of sadness wash over him at the sight of his fallen friend. "Oh Sam…"

* * *

><p><em>I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time. Hope you all enjoyed it.<em>


	33. A Rough Start

In hind sight baiting an eleven foot tall cannibalistic insane monster with what was apparently the one thing it wanted in the world wasn't the best idea. The monstrous freak chasing Tony slammed into a wall as he took a sharp turn. When Tony had woken up that day he hadn't expected to wind up in a flight for his life.

It was worth it though…anything to get that thing away from Amanda. When he had first laid eyes on her he hadn't believed it. His heart almost stopped when he saw her for the first time. Her skin had been a pale ashen grey, her eyes had glowed with a soft and unnatural light, but it had been her. His daughter had stared at him, not an ounce of recognition in her eyes. That alone had been enough to break his heart.

He knew from the other two girls that she would likely not remember him. Seeing it first hand had been another thing entirely. So here he was, running as fast as he could from some angry behemoth drawing it as far away from his daughter as possible. To his surprise, Tony was at peace. His daughter was going to be safe with the others and he knew that if he didn't make it the others would care for her.

A Splicer ran at him wielding a pistol teeth bared. "I's gonna kill you wit my bazooka!" Unfazed, Tony checked the crazed man out of his way. The bone chilling crunch that came from behind him as the beast dealt with the Splicer only spurred Tony on his way.

()

David stared in shock at the unmoving remains of his friend. Her face was mangled beyond recognition and covered in blood; he could clearly see large portions of her skull. Her undamaged vacant yellow eye stared uncomprehendingly at the ceiling, it was already paler then it had been in life. Her body was riddled with small holes where bullets had pierced her armor. Almost the entire left side of her chest had been torn open by the monster as it had ripped its hand free. The only part of her that was as he remembered was her hair, her flaming locks spread about her head like some sort of burning halo.

A devastated scream sounded from behind him and Amanda sprinted past the shocked human. She fell to her knees in the pool of blood that lay around her fallen sibling. "Sissy no! Sissy please wake up! Please don't leave me…" Her yells petered off into a whimper.

Thompson slowly walked past the stunned human. He knelt next to the fallen sister and pressed his fingers to her neck. "David…I'm so sorry." David simply nodded, feeling a prickling sensation in the back of his eyes. He tensed as he sensed three individuals surround him and his allies.

"Don't move." David barely moved, merely looking at the man out of the corner of his eye. Thompson stood slowly, hands raised over his head. "Give us the girl." That provoked a reaction from David. With a barely contained growl he whipped his pistol out and aimed it at the calm man who was giving the orders.

"To hell with you! She says with us."

The calm man barely batted an eyebrow. Stoic as ever he clicked the hammer of his pistol back. "I will give you one chance."

Hand shaking with rage David glared at the infuriatingly calm man. "Fuck you."

Unfazed the man just nodded. Before he could pull the trigger however, Thompson moved in that way. "W-wait, just wait." Turning around slightly, Thompson sent a glare David's way. "Put down your gun!" David didn't move. "Put down your gun unless you want us both killed!" Still glaring, David slowly lowered his weapon.

Hands raised over his head, Thompson turned back to the stoic man. "It's good to see you Jack."

A smile spread slowly across Jack's face. "It's good to see you Thompson. Sorry about…" He waved his hand around. "…this."

"While this reunion is just heart touching, Tony's getting chased by a cannibalistic giant!" The speaker was a petite blond woman with tan skin and startlingly blue eyes.

Jack sighed softly looking guiltily at the floor. "Tony knew the risk, there's not anything we can do. Sandy you saw how much damage that thing took; it could have killed us all."

"I-it just d-doesn't feel r-right." The final member of their group a reedy man with thinning blond hair and green eyes spoke up. When he realized he had everyone's attention he shifted uncomfortably in place looking at the floor.

"I think she's his daughter." All eyes turned to Sandy most of them were skeptical. "What? He freaked out when he saw these two holding her and gave her this horribly depressing look as he ran out of here with that thing on his heels." If anything the others grew more skeptical. Sandy shifted defensively, crossing her arms. "What? I'm a girl, noticing a thing like that is what we do."

Jack stepped towards Amanda only to be stopped by David. He raised his hands defensively and moved to pacify the angry human. "I'm not going to hurt her; I'm going to cure her" Though he was suspicious David stepped aside, this he had to see.

As Jack approached her Amanda stumbled away from him with a whimper. "M-mr. Ordinary?"

David gave the little girl a sad smile. "It's okay Amanda; he's going to help you."

Jack placed his hand on the child's forehead. A blinding flash of light flooded the area. Amanda opened her chocolate brown eyes and stared up into David's blue grey ones.

()

A single round punched into the Big Daddy's shoulder. The beast was instantly enraged, revving a mammoth harpoon like drill it charged at its attacker. Tony rolled out of its way, causing the enraged metal plated monster to charge his pursuer. The ensuing fight, while somewhat unfair for the unfortunate Daddy, served as an adequate distraction. It allowed Tony to gain some distance and begin to enact his plan.

He had noticed an airlock during his frantic sprint throughout Rapture. Doubling back around the fighting behemoths Tony sprinted towards the airlock. A pained bellow and a wet crunch told Tony his distraction had ended its usefulness.

Tony skidded to a stop in front of the airlock controls. He sighed internally, beginning to panic; he was not familiar with the controls. Resigning himself to whatever would happen he began to fiddle with the controls. Smacking a button at random Tony grinned to himself as he heard the water drain from the airlock.

The beast's near constant scream echoed down the hallways getting steadily louder as it approached. The water drained, Tony desperately began to turn the door's release. With a crash the beast barreled through some obstruction, its only reaction was an increase in the volume of its mad screams. Groaning Tony heaved the airlocks rusted door open, doing his best not to damage it. Why the hell was it so damn heavy? The freak's scream reached a near unbearable pitch as it battered open the entrance into the airlock's antechamber. With no time left to spare Tony uncorked the vial of Adam and tossed it into the opened airlock.

Diving to the side he rolled behind a console just as the enraged monstrosity sprinted into the opened airlock. Running to the airlock he slammed it closed and ran to the control console. Tony smashed the flood control and listened with satisfaction as the chamber began to flood. The beast seemed to ignore the rising water, most likely trying to scrape up the spilled Adam. With a pleasant ding the green indicator light flashed on, telling Tony the airlock was completely filled. Releasing a shaky chuckle he hit the emergency release button sending the abomination into the depths of the ocean.

Exhausted and shaking, Tony turned and sat down against the wall. His shaking hand pulled his radio from his pocket and flipped it on. "Guys…I flu…I flushed the bastard."

To Tony's shock he actually heard Jack loose a relieved laugh. "Good to hear you Tony, what'd you do with that ugly bastard?"

"I tricked the dumb brute into an airlock and sent him on a one way trip to the briny depths."

A rush of static was heard over the radio as Jack released a relieved sigh. "Tony, Amanda's with us. She's safe…and she's human again. We're still at the ambush point…and we've got some new friends. Can you get back here?"

Giddy with his daughter's rescue Tony grinned widely. "Yeah, I'll be there soon."

()

David stared bleakly at his new allies perched atop a pile of rubble. The young woman seemed capable enough if a bit on the sarcastic side. The jittery man was somewhat less impressive, though he seemed somewhat brave. Jack was obviously their leader, at least on the field. The man was an extremely capable fighter when it came to firearms, close combat, and plasmids, a bit of a Jack of all trades to be honest. Despite the situation David grinned slightly at his little joke. The fact that Thompson seemed to trust them said something, but it wasn't enough for David's liking.

A small hand grasped David's larger one. Tearful brown eyes looked up into his as Amanda rested her head against his arm. "I miss Sissy."

David wrapped his arm around the small girl's shoulders. "I do too sweetie."

"Am I going to meet my Daddy?"

"Yeah Amanda, he's on his way." As soon as the words left his mouth a bear of a man entered the ambush sight, a mammoth machinegun casually resting on his shoulder. Upon seeing his daughter the man stopped short, seemingly unsure of what to do or how to react.

He set his gun aside and slowly approached his daughter. "Amanda?"

The little girl tilted her head to the side, studying the unfamiliar man curiously. "Are you my Daddy?"

"Yes…God I've missed-" A horrible scream filled the room drowning out all other noise. Hands clasped over his ears as he attempted to block the unearthly noise, David turned to the source. Samantha lay where she had fallen her back bent like a bow as her entire body tensed. As suddenly as the scream began it stopped as Samantha began to seize. Her badly damaged body thrashed; her limbs and head flailing like a thing possessed.

Releasing a scream of horror Amanda ran past her stunned father and stopped at her sister's side. "Sissy? Sissy can you hear me?" There was no discernable reaction from the thrashing Big Sister. Getting over his surprise, David ran over to his seizing friend.

"Doc, what the hell's going on?" Pushing David aside, Thompson crouched next to the convulsing experiment. He looked into the gaping hole in her chest before jerking backwards in surprise.

"That lung was collapsed." David followed the doctor's line of sight. Shoving aside his inner squeamishness he watched the now functional lung as it inflated and deflated inside her chest. "That's incredible, her body shut down while her leech repaired the critical damage. It should now be healing the…slightly less life threatening injuries." To his utter amazement he could see the damaged ribs slowly mending while her skin began to knit back together. Samantha stopped thrashing and her undamaged eye flicked slightly before blinking; still barely conscious she looked around blearily.

"Sissy! I'm so glad you're alright!" Wrapping her small arms around her sister's bloody neck Amanda squeezed tightly. The sound of a hammer being pulled back stopped the brief reunion.

"Amanda, get away from her."

"Daddy, Sissy's hurt. Leave her alone."

The huge man's hand shook slightly as he kept the gun trained on the wounded beast. "A-amanda, that _thing_ killed your mother. Move!"

David leapt to his feet and aimed his pistol at the large man's head. "You pull that trigger I pull mine."

The bear of a man narrowed his eyes dangerously. "That fucking monster killed my wife, kid. I'd recommend staying out of my family's business."

Samantha released a low growl as what little flesh remained around her mangled mouth pulled back as she tried to bare her teeth. "I'd put the gun down…unless you want Amanda to loose her father seconds after meeting him."

"Daddy, Mr. Ordinary, stop fighting!"

Thompson glared at both men. "I'm a doctor damn it! No one's shooting anyone!"

"Come on soldier man, it's not worth getting killed over."

The furious man shot a livid glare towards Sandy in response. "That fucking test tube reject killed my wife and kidnapped my daughter! You should understand how I feel!" His glare flicked to the small nervous man. "You should understand too Harper!"

"I-I…k-killing her when sh-she's defenseless j-just seems wrong…"

"That fucking thing's a goddamn monster!"

Maintaining his ever calm façade, Jack spoke up for the first time in the argument. "If things were only a bit different that could have been your daughter laying there instead of someone else's."

With a low growl Tony acquiesced and holstered his pistol. "So what the hell are we going to do with the freak?"

"Jack if you'd be so kind as to give me your radio. Lamb's kind followers confiscated my old one." With a nod Jack tossed Thompson the handheld radio. Activating it Thompson spoke into the device smiling all the while. "Brigid, its Thompson I've just met your merry band of misfits."

"Aaron, it's good to hear you are unharmed."

"Believe me Brigid I'm as happy about it as you. I have a wounded Protector Mark 2 here; have any ideas what we should do with her?"

Concern found its way into Tenenbaum's voice. "How is she?"

"She was pretty beat up but she's healing now."

"Good…good. Jack?"

"Yeah Tenenbaum?"

"Can you bring her back here? She might hold the key to a cure."

David perked up at this. "A cure to what?"

Jack smirked slightly before nodding to the radio; Tenenbaum's voice came over the radio obviously smug. "A cure to Adam of course."

()

Alpha stalked down the hallways of Mother's base. Any and all monsters that saw her stayed well out of her way. They afforded all Big Sisters this honor, for her however some ran in the opposite direction. Alpha's right hand was holding a handful of the petulant child's hair as she dragged her to Mother. She had kicked and screamed for most of the sub ride to Rapture. She'd only had to burn the girl twice to get her to shut up. It was quite pitiful really.

A monster ran past her, franticly gasping for air. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Deftly spinning around Alpha raised her arm aiming her wrist mounted harpoon launcher at the fleeing beast. The harpoon punched through the beast's shin, with a crack its hooks deployed. Grinning savagely Alpha heaved on the connected cord and sent the monster face first into a metal wall. It fell to the ground clasping a heavily bleeding nose.

Footsteps announced the arrival of the person she had been expecting. Smiling behind her helmet, Alpha turned to the bald monster as he calmly rounded the corner. "Nicely done number one." Alpha shifted slightly feeling her stomach flutter with the praise. Still smiling she nodded in the direction of the downed monster. The bald monster waved his hand dismissively. "Kill the bastard I don't care." Behind her helmet she grinned widely. Seconds later the monster in question was screaming in agony as it burned alive.

Enjoying the pleasing way the screams echoed around the hallway Alpha moved to follow the bald monster. With a whimper the whelp feebly tried to resist. Alpha stopped that notion by raising two fingers and lighting a small flame. Struggling to hold back tears the girl stopped resisting. As a reward Alpha only twisted her hand further into the little bitch's hair. The girl was lucky that she was in a good mood, burning someone sounded like fun right about now.

"I see you got the latest cog in Lamb's machine." Alpha nodded with a proud hum, the bald monster talked funny sometimes that was part of why she liked him. "Well something killed one of your sisters while you were away." With a surprised yelp Alpha turned to face the bald monster. "It was…Epsilon I think." She released a relieved sigh. Epsilon was an air headed moron; Alpha had contemplated killing her on more then one occasion.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure we know what did it. Congrats by the way, you have a brother." Alpha cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "Yeah damn brainless cannibal almost ate me." _That_ alarmed Alpha. Loosing a concerned whimper she stepped into the bald monster's way, either unaware or uncaring of the fact that in doing so she spun the child around and pulled a large amount of hair free.

The bald monster rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, oh and your brother moronically ran into an airlock and was flushed." Alpha laughed softly before she turned back around, once again wrenching the little girl around causing her to whimper in pain.

The two of them entered Mother's office; the whelp didn't count as a person after all. Mother smiled slightly before nodding to Alpha. "I take it that is the target Sister?" Alpha nodded casually shoving the target towards the Mother. Gesturing with a hand dismissively Mother signaled a monster to take the whelp away.

"I have a task for you…both of you." That peaked Alpha's curiosity. "The natives of Arcadia are becoming problematic, namely the Saturnine. Kill or convert them, either way they will be an example for others."

The bald monster nodded a slow smirk spreading across his craggy features. "Any limits on what we can do?"

At that the Mother smiled. "No Mr. Morrow, there are not."

()

Tony watched in shocked anger as his daughter held the hand of the strange young man he had found her with. They both were following just behind the impromptu stretcher Jack was using for levitating the fucking freak. He couldn't believe it, not only did his daughter not remember him she showed more loyalty to the monster that murdered his wife then she did him!

His hands shaking Tony came to a decision, as surreptitiously as he could he flipped the safety off on his LMG. He moved to raise it but was stopped when someone pushed the barrel down. Tony's furious glare turned to Harper in shock. "D-don't"

Glaring hatefully at the impudent little shit he whispered heatedly. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It won't g-get you anything. Th-think about it, T-tenenbaum can learn a lot from h-her, maybe enough t-to make the difference." Gritting his teeth in frustration Tony lowered his weapon and flipped the safety back on.

They arrived at their hideout several minutes later. Tenenbaum was waiting at the entrance, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her newest test subject. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the state the freak was in. She was next to the stretcher in seconds, intelligent eyes assessing the situation. "Interesting, she is obviously a post pubescent Gatherer. Judging from her injuries her healing abilities and metabolism are much slower then a younger Gatherer, though obviously still much faster then a normal human." Her eyes flicked to the Splicer doctor, Thompson Tony thought his name was. "How much have these injuries healed?"

Thompson nodded, like Tenenbaum he appeared to be all business not even bothering to greet the woman who was apparently an old friend. "Her ribs have nearly completed healing with the skin and muscle around that wound almost as far along as the bones. Her facial wounds have only healed enough to stop the excessive bleeding; her body appears to be prioritizing her chest wound over her facial injuries. She was…dead, for lack of a better word, for almost an hour before jerking back to life. I assume that her leech spent that time healing any and all critical internal injuries."

Nodding, Tenenbaum ushered Thompson and Jack, who was still levitating the bitch, into her lab. She almost closed it before the young man he had almost shot pushed his way into the room as well. Tony's eyes narrowed, he wasn't going to leave Jack and Tenenbaum alone in a room with three unknown threats. Ignoring Tenenbaum's exasperated glance Tony shouldered his way into the room as well.

Staring at the monster that had killed his wife and tried to kill him Tony voiced his mind. "We should restrain her."

Before the man, apparently named David, could object Tony's comment Thompson cut in. "David, the last time we saw her she tried to kill us. Restraining her is for the best, at least until we can reason with her."

With a resigned sigh David nodded. "Yeah…you're right. I-is there anything you can do for her?"

With a kind smile Tenenbaum shook her head. "No child, her body will take care of itself. The best we can do is make her comfortable." Turning fully away from the monster on the table Tenenbaum turned her attention to the newcomer. "I am already acquainted with Aaron and know Amanda's name through her father. You seem to be the only one here whose name I don't have."

Not taking his eyes off the fallen monster as Jack tied restraints around her limbs, David nodded absently. "I'm David…"

Unfazed by the man's distant response Tenenbaum smiled, resting her hand on the man's shoulder she attempted to comfort him. "She will be fine David, she's resilient…her kind were designed to be that way." Still staring at the abomination the man nodded again as he pulled a chair over.

Crossing his arms Tony glared at the freak and made his thoughts known. "We should kill it, it's a threat now. I'm sure you can get info from a postmortem examination."

Tenenbaum smiled slightly at him as she responded, though there was a definite warning in her eyes. "That won't be necessary Mr. Gibbs." She turned to Thompson gesturing towards the door. "Come, we will show you to your rooms." Her gaze turned to David before she continued. "Feel free to stay as long as you would like David, all I ask is you alert us when she once again regains consciousness." The man nodded again before he tentatively reached out and grabbed one of the abomination's hands in his own.

Tenenbaum led Thompson and Jack from the room. As he left Jack sent Tony a warning glare. Tony waited a second more before he followed his allies from the room. He was unable to repress a surge of disgust at the care the man displayed for the monster.

* * *

><p><em>Well this chapter went much faster then I expected. Here you all go.<em>


	34. Unkillable

Tony rolled over in his bed, unable to quiet his racing thoughts enough to sleep. His daughter loved the monster that killed her mother more then him…the thought broke his heart. What had happened to her that twisted her to that point? What took his daughter from him?

Rage coiled itself inside his chest. Slowly he stood and picked his gun up from its place on a dresser. The second that thing recovered it would kill them all, he wasn't going to give it that chance. After a moments thought he put his LMG down and picked up a pistol, it was easier to hide a pistol then a rifle.

Moving as silently as possible Tony slipped from his room. Everyone appeared to be asleep, that was probably for the best. In the atrium Thompson appeared to have fallen asleep on the couch while reading some of Tenenbaum's research. Tenenbaum's lab was dimly lit by a flickering light mounted on the far counter; the abomination's body was clearly visible on the bed in the center of the room.

Remaining as silent as possible, Tony walked to her bedside and examined the beast that had killed his wife. At some point Tenenbaum had removed the tattered remains of her armor and had dressed her in a loosely fitting white gown. Her amber hair pooled around her head like a halo of blood, the blood of her victims. Her body appeared to have finished mending itself and for the first time he got a good look at her face. She looked peaceful, almost innocent in a way. Her face was incredibly pale and slightly gaunt, unsurprising given the utter lack of sun light she was exposed to. Her lips were slightly parted as she calmly breathed in her comatose state.

That was someone's daughter. The incredibly unwelcome thought caused Tony's hand to tremble slightly. Taking a deep breath he steeled himself, he had to do this. The sound of the hammer clicking back seemed thunderous in the silent room. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath; this _was_ the right thing to do. He reopened his eyes, only to meet the faintly glowing gaze of the room's only other occupant.

Her face was expressionless as she watched the unfamiliar man point a gun in between her eyes. There was no malice in her eyes, no confusion, or hate, or fear. She simply studied the man and the gun aimed at her face. "D-don't look at me like that you monster! You killed my wife! You kidnapped my daughter! Y-you deserve to die for what you've done!"

The blank eyes watching him didn't react to his raised voice; the only visible reaction was a slight tilting of her head.

"Get the fuck away from her!" Both Tony and the monster's gazes turned to David as he glared at Tony. The tense silence was broken by a low rumbling growl. Tony turned back towards the abomination on the table. Its face was no longer expressionless, it was twisted into a look of absolute loathing…and it was fixed on David.

"David you need to-" An invisible force slammed into Tony's chest and threw him clear from the room.

"Sam, calm down." A series of snaps signaled the monster's restraints being destroyed. "Sam, think about what you're doing." With a savage scream the monster hurled David from the room as well.

"What the hell's going on?" A groggy Thompson sat up on the couch, blearily trying to understand what was happening. The couch was promptly hurled across the room by an invisible force. Within seconds the others entered the room. They were all thrown back out of the room by the monster's unnatural powers. All of the doors slammed shut and a series of clicks signaled their locking mechanisms activating.

Tony was unable to resist the surge of dread he felt when he realized that he was stuck in a room with two people he barely knew and didn't trust and an enraged monster.

()

Arcadia was a…forest for lack of a better word. The last time Leo had been there was when the family had fought the Saturnine for control of the most abundant farmland in Rapture. That had been nearly six years ago, the plants had grown out of control since then. What little signs of civilization that had still been visible then were long gone now. In the center of a clearing stood two figures, Leo and an unnaturally tall man.

The cultist was one ugly bastard, Leo could give him that. A mask made of twigs had fused to his face and he was wearing white robes stained in blood. The flesh of his hands and lower arms was bark like, and his deformed fingers ended in razor sharp claws. A series of root like growths came out from underneath his robes and appeared to have grown upwards piercing his neck. His veins stood out against his pale skin glowing a soft green. The veins in his eyes glowed as well, giving his eyes an eerie green glow. The effect was quite unnerving though unlike a Gatherer the eye wasn't featureless.

A rasping sigh escaped the freak's lips as he glared as Leo. "What are you doing here puppet of Lamb? Saturnine kills those who trespass on his holy land." As the man spoke the trees moved as if a wind was moving through their branches.

Unfazed by the man's thinly veiled threats, Leo continued unfazed. "Lamb has a proposal for the Saturnine. I'd like to speak to your leader."

The man's unblinking gaze stared into Leo's eyes for several seconds before he responded. "We are Saturnine."

Leo rolled his eyes, religious nut jobs were never easy to talk to. "I know you are part of the Saturnine. I need to talk to your leader though."

The man's eyes narrowed slightly and the trees movement increased as if they were agitated. "We speak for Saturnine. We _are_ Saturnine."

"_Right_...so you're who I should speak to?"

"We are Saturnine."

Leo sighed. "I'll take that as a yes. Lamb has a proposal for the Saturnine."

"Saturnine is listening."

"You have control over the most plentiful farmland in Rapture. Lamb proposes you feed the Family."

The trees shook more violently as the cultist narrowed his eyes further. "Why would Saturnine help the puppets of Lamb?"

Leo grinned in response. "Because otherwise we will destroy you, your cult, and all your precious trees."

Instantly the trees stopped moving and the cultists eyes narrowed hatefully. "Saturnine destroyed the puppets of Lamb once, Saturnine will do so again."

Leo laughed derisively in response. The cultist didn't like that, its head tilted to the side slowly. "Saturnine will start with you."

Well that sounded like his cue. Grinning widely, Leo fell to his knees. Shrieking like a banshee, Alpha appeared above him wreathed in flame. As she landed next to him the flames flooded outward. Standing in the middle of the inferno Leo laughed as arcadia burned.

()

"Sam, we don't want to hurt you. You just need to call down." Rage surged through Theta's veins anew. He was lying! He always lied! With a furious howl Theta hurled David across the room. The large monster, when he pulled his gun on her, received a similar treatment.

"Samantha, I'm a doctor you can-" The doctor monster's voice petered into a chocked gurgle as an invisible force began to squeeze his windpipe. He was a doctor! People like _him_ were responsible for all of this! His green eyes were bulging as he desperately thrashed.

Theta's concentration was interrupted when a fist slammed into her nose, as she reeled back it was followed up by a right hook to the chin. She leapt back avoiding the next blow and stared in shock at a panting David as he stood there glaring at her.

He hit her? He actually hit her? If he wanted to fight her like that she was happy to oblige! Screaming a challenge she lunged at the traitorous lying human piece of filth. Moving with a speed she hadn't seen before, David dodged her first blow and punched her in the stomach. Unfortunately for the human the blow did little to stop the enraged Big Sister.

She grasped David's throat in her hand and lifted him off the ground. Before she could enjoy herself however the doctor asked her a strange question. "Samantha, would you kindly stop?" Despite her rage and urge for vengeance, Theta stopped momentarily. Why was she stopping? She was angry damn it! Shaking off the bizarre instance she moved to kill David, she was stopped when she felt a needle enter her shoulder. Teeth bared, she spun towards the doctor. Unfortunately her vision was already going black and within seconds she collapsed to the ground.

()

The cultist's gnarled claws grazed Leo's cheek as he dodged the clumsy blow. With practiced ease, Leo jammed one of his magnums underneath the cultist's chin and blew his skullcap clean off. He could hear the demonic laughter of Alpha as twin columns of fire flowed from her palms, destroying anything they touched. It appeared Alpha was a bit of a pyromaniac.

Hearing movement behind him, Leo spun around. Five cultists were sprinting at him from the tree line, screaming in rage. He was unfazed by their superior numbers and calmly raised his magnums. Five blasts sounded in rapid succession, five cultists dropped to the ground with holes in between their eyes. Without warning, a crazed cultist leapt onto Leo's back, digging its gnarled claws into his shoulders. "You cannot fight Satur-" The man's battle cry cut off with a gurgle before he was pulled from Leo's shoulders.

He spun around in time to see the unlucky bastard with a harpoon through his throat. The harpoon was connected to a wire that Alpha was holding. Shrieking with savage glee, Alpha spun around, her momentum swinging the dying cultist into several of his peers. The fallen pile of cultists was promptly set ablaze. Alpha apparently found the situation quite humorous, giggling inanely as their screams rose in volume.

"Persistent, aren't they?" Alpha appeared to ignore his comment, only laughing harder as she began to electrocute the few cultists that had survived their immolation. Despite his comment Leo could see no further sign of cultists; it appeared that they might have finally dealt with the Saturnine.

Alpha's surprised yelp was his first queue that the cultists weren't finished with them. Pain tore through his legs and moved rapidly up his body. Painfully looking down at his injuries, Leo was shocked to see roots breaking forth from the soil and piercing his body. Judging from the lack of noise, Alpha had fled to a safe distance when the roots had attacked.

A cultist slunk over to the immobile Leo; his unnatural green eyes alight with a cold malice. "You death will feed Saturnine puppet of Lamb."

To the cultist's surprise, Leo laughed. "No, quite the opposite in fact." With his free hand he grabbed the cultist's head. The mutated man's eyes rolled into the back of his head, his veins blackened, and his skin turned ashen. Around him, the roots began to wither and die; slowly the grass browned and began to shrivel.

After several seconds the man was released, his desiccated husk impacting the blighted ground with a brittle crack. Alone in a perfect circle of death Leo stood, healed and unharmed.

()

Tony groaned as the room slowly stopped spinning and came into focus. He sat up just in time to see Thompson unlock the main door, allowing their allies to rejoin them. David was kneeling a few feet away from him, coughing as he tried to regain his breath. His wandering gaze finding his pistol, Tony snatched it off of the ground.

As he slowly got to his feet, Tony reached a decision. That was enough! That fucking thing had endangered them enough! Storming towards the comatose monster he planted his pistol against its forehead. With a click he pulled the hammer back, all previous feelings of pity for the freak long forgotten.

"Don't!" To Tony's surprise it wasn't David who had objected, it was Thompson.

"What the hell do you mean? This fucking thing has tried to kill us twice now!"

Seeing that at least for now Tony was stopped, Thompson turned to Tenenbaum. "She's been controlled." He cast a pointed gaze in Jack's direction. "I think Lamb has modified Suchong's mind control conditioning. The control phrase must have changed but some residual effects are still in place."

Tony laughed derisively at Thompson's explanation. "Mind control? Really? You're pushing what I can believe."

To Tony's surprise Jack sent a glare in his direction. "It's real. Believe me, I would know." He sighed and crossed his arms before continuing. "It's insidious, unless someone demands you do something completely against your nature. It twists your emotions and the way you think so you come to believe that whatever is being proposed makes complete sense."

Thompson nodded. "There's a good chance that she had no control over whatever she's done…that or her way of thinking has been so twisted that she thinks she's justified."

David was still sitting on the floor, dazedly staring into the distance. "Who the hell makes something that takes away someone's freewill?" His gaze turned to the young woman lying on the floor unconscious. "What is someone without their freewill?"

Snorting in disgust, Tony answered his question. "You get that fucking monster." He waved his gun around in exasperation. "And I'm unable to think of a reason we're just sitting here scratching our heads about what to do with her! The answer is fucking obvious! Kill her!"

"You will not harm her!" To the surprise of everyone the enraged voice belonged to Tenenbaum, not David. "She is a _victim_! A victim like your daughter! Treat her as such." Tony stared blankly at the woman, shocked into silence.

"D-doc, I hate to b-bring it up…but if she i-is being controlled what ch-choice do we have?"

Tenenbaum smiled towards Harper. "I can break the control; I did so with Jack and can do so again."

()

Ron paused for a moment, once again allowing himself to bask in the beauty of the fallen utopia he resided in. From the ocean floor you could almost look past the partially collapsed structures, blacked out buildings, and the occasional dead body.

Slowly turning his bulky diving suit, he turned and headed to the first cage he was to check. Distant whale calls reverberated inside his suit, the familiar sound relaxing the Splicer. His radio crackled to life, breaking his brief peace. "Ron, you there yet?"

"Almost there Lonny, maybe a minute out."

"How 'bout you Jill?"

"I've hit the first Lonny, keep your pants on."

A static riddled chuckle echoed through the radio as Lonny responded. "You know I have trouble with that around you love."

Cresting over an unfamiliar underwater ridge, Ron saw the first cage. Smiling widely at the sight of dozens of crabs trapped with its metal bars he trudged over to it. His Adam augmented strength allowed him to easily pick the cage up from the ocean floor, and get a closer look at its contents.

An ecstatic yell echoed around his helmet as he examined the contents. Flipping his radio on, he informed his friends. "A bunch of the crabs have got Adam leeches on them! We hit the jackpot!"

Ignoring the other cages that were still waiting for him, he turned around to head back. As he did he got a better look at the underwater ridge he had climbed over. There appeared to be something vaguely humanoid buried underneath the rubble and sand pilled on top of it. A limb was partially visible; it ended in a meaty chunk of flesh with the odd bone sticking out of it. Its face must have been horribly damaged by predators; after all no human had mandibles…right? There were Adam leeches swarming the body, obviously feeding from its relatively fresh corpse. At least that explained the sudden increase in Adam slugs they had caught…

His pondering was pointless, it was dead. Shrugging carelessly Ron moved to climb up the small ridge the creature had formed with its body. He was about halfway across when it unexpectedly moved. The sudden movement caused him to loose his footing, drop the cage, and land on his back with an oomph. He sighed internally; it was a pain in the ass to get up off of your back in these things!

His mental complaints stopped as something large blocked out the filtered light he got from the surface.

The last things he saw before the visor of his helmet shattered were two ghastly yellow orbs peering down at him with a mindless hunger.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the wait. I've come down with a loverly cold that makes doing anything somewhat miserable.<em>


	35. Purpose

With a strangled yelp, Theta awoke from her slumber. She was in a white, featureless room. The only objects in it were the bed she had been sleeping on and a pile of clothes. Slipping out of the unfamiliar scratchy gown she was wearing she pulled on the grayish pants and pale yellow shirt. The fabric was obviously worn but was still soft to the touch.

Theta paused, head tilting curiously to the side. There was something that had been hidden beneath the pile of clothing. A small black box with a single red button atop it lay on the ground. There was a piece of paper taped to the box with the words 'push me' written on it. She raised an eyebrow skeptically…was this going to detonate a bomb or something?

After several more seconds of thinking on the subject, she tentatively hit the button. With a soft whirring sound a camera and screen flipped out from hidden compartments on the walls. The screen flickered to life and a green light on the camera turned on. An elderly woman appeared on the screen, she was smiling kindly at the confused experiment. "Hello child, you are understandably confused I assume?"

Staring blankly at the screen Theta nodded confusedly. "Your friend David says that your name is Samantha. Is that true?" Theta's heart stopped in her chest. She had been angry, so so angry…had she hurt him? She remembered chasing him and the doctor monster. She remembered a monster attacking her…it had been familiar to her…a sibling? She had been hurt…she'd woken up and…a vivid image of David's throat in her hand appeared.

With a horrified yelp, she shot to her feet. "Be calm child, your friend is okay." Theta slumped with relief at that news. Sitting down on the bed she crossed her arms and watched the elderly woman calculatedly.

The woman chuckled at Theta's attitude and introduced herself. "My name is Brigid Tenenbaum and there is much I must tell you."

Theta shifted uncomfortably as glee and rage fought for dominance inside her skull. She could remember Tenenbaum, now that she thought of it; she was surprised she hadn't recognized her sooner. Mama Tenenbaum had been one of the few rays of light in her early years. She had made a point to treat all of the Gatherers well and had even thrown them all a party once. The smell of the cake was still vivid in Theta's mind.

A surge of loathing for the elderly woman coursed through Theta's veins. She knew what the witch had done…she knew that elderly fiend had created the Gatherers. The she-demon smiling at her was the reason she was a monster and not a girl. The witch had found Adam, the witch had created Gatherers, the witch was directly responsible for Rapture's fall…

While Theta was furious at the witch feigning concern, she was no fool. If the witch could lie so could she. Transforming her face into the very picture of innocent curiosity, Theta played along with the witch. As she listened to the witch blather on about her mistakes she nodded and smiled her first true smile since waking, she was going to enjoy ripping her limb from limb.

()

Sandy smiled to herself at the sight of Tony and Amanda sitting together on the couch. The man was reciting some nonsensical story to his daughter that she had obviously heard many times before. The happiness radiating off of the normally taciturn man and the joy on the little girl's face made what they were doing completely worth it.

Her smile fell slightly as she turned her gaze to David. The young man appeared deep in thought. In a way she felt pity for the young man, he was obviously attached to the experiment. Personally Sandy wasn't sure what to think about her. On the one hand she was responsible for all that she had been through since her sister's disappearance, on the other she was just another victim of Rapture's twisted legacy. After a moment's consideration she decided to reserve judgment until she actually met the experiment.

Carol latched onto Sandy's hand as she smiled up at her big sister. "Can I show you my other Big Sister Sandy? I think you'd like her." Sandy wasn't sure how she felt about her sister's affection for the experiment.

"I'm sorry sweetie, she's sleeping right now."

"Sissy's sleeping?" Sandy's eye moved to Amanda's curious face as she questioned her sister's whereabouts. Tony appeared less then pleased at his daughter's concern; a small vein was pulsing in his forehead.

"Umm, yeah she's sleeping right now sweetie." Tony's scowl deepened as Amanda pouted.

"Aw, I want to see Sissy. I hope she gets up soon."

With a soft creaking the door to the room opened and Jack stepped in. "We're going to open the room." Sandy smiled as both the children perked up immediately; it appeared she was going to meet the experiment sooner rather then later.

()

Theta paced back and forth. Her mind was reeling and she was doing her best to hold back tears. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true. She helped her family because she wanted to, because she loved them. She wasn't…she wasn't a slave. She couldn't be. She hadn't betrayed David because she was ordered to…it had made sense. He had betrayed her first; he had been planning to abandon her!

If that was true, why did she stop? Why was she no longer enraged towards David? Why had the doctor monster's brief almost passive request make her stop in her tracks? She wasn't a slave…she wasn't a puppet…was she?

Theta jumped as a hidden door opened in the wall. She recognized the witch as she calmly entered her prison. She was flanked by a tall monster with tattoos of chains on his wrists. "How are you feeling Samantha?" Theta narrowed her eyes slightly at the witch. She was not that hag's concern! "Do you feel better?" Theta shrugged, she had no free will for as long as she could remember. How was she supposed to know if she was better? The witch sighed softly at Theta's response before looking to her larger colleague. "I suppose there's no other way." She turned back towards the doorway. "David, you can enter now."

Theta's heart jumped into her throat as David tentatively stepped into the room. The second she saw him a small part of her began to demand his death, she attempted to squash the feeling but it lingered stubbornly. She hissed and shook her head. It didn't matter. She wasn't a slave, and she didn't want to hurt him.

"You okay Sam?" Theta smiled softly and nodded at the foolish human, even now he was worried about her. Judging from the way his face fell slightly he could see that she had lied. Was she supposed to be okay? Her mind drifted back to something she had heard the mother say once. 'To give the faceless a mirror is a heinous crime.' Theta found herself looking into a mirror, and hating what she saw…

()

Sandy glanced up curiously as Tenenbaum, Jack, David and the experiment left the isolation room. Sandy's eyes widened at the sight of the formerly hostile entity. She was tall, about the same height as Tony who was about six and a half feet in height. Unlike the mammoth man, she was bone thin. The girl didn't look like she had an ounce of fat on her body. Her face was slightly gaunt, her cheeks sunken in just enough to be noticeable. Her thin face made her already large eyes seem almost too big for her head. Greasy amber hair came down a bit below her shoulders.

There was no sign of the horrible damage her face had taken just the previous day. Her healing ability was clearly amazing. Vibrant yellow eyes met hers briefly as the Big Sister caught her staring. Sandy felt naked as her calculating gaze seemed to measure what sort of threat she might be.

Under his breath Tony muttered. "We should kill the damn thing." Instantly the thing's calm face disappeared as she bared her teeth and released a chilling growl. She raised her arms, her fingers splayed out so her sharp nails were ready to tear into flesh. Faster then seemed possible she dove towards Tony.

"Sam no!"

Tony and the experiment were frozen in place. One of the experiment's hands was at Tony's throat, her sharp nails digging into the soft flesh of the man's throat. Her eyes were twin pools of bubbling acid as she glared into Tony's eyes. With an almost smug look, she pointedly glanced to her hand. Seeing that Tony understood the situation, she loosed a dismissive snort before releasing the man and taking several steps back. Sandy didn't miss the slight smile she sent David as he released a relieved sigh.

Tenenbaum stepped forward gesturing towards the others. "That was Tony." The large man glared at the experiment.

"This is Harper." The experiment sent the man a tentative smile as he gave her a nervous wave.

"And this is Sandy." The experiment's keen gaze landed on Sandy again, this time with something akin to an almost shy curiosity. The rapid transition from ruthless killing machine to semi shy girl was a strange one. With a surprised jolt Sandy realized that there was a good chance that the experiment was younger then her. If she was one of the first generation of Little Sisters she couldn't be more then nineteen, maybe twenty at the latest.

Realizing the younger experiment was still looking at her Sandy smiled slightly. "Hi, it's umm…it's nice to meet you." To her surprise, Sandy could see the Big Sister's eyes light up with a tentative hopefulness as a smile slowly spread itself across her face.

Any further interaction was stopped as a pigtailed blur flew past Sandy with a happy squeal. Latching on to her older sibling's leg, Amanda beamed up at the experiment named Samantha.

()

Theta stared in shock at the little girl that had been her sister. She was no longer one of her siblings; her dull, unexpressive, brown eyes were all wrong. A horrible thought crossed her mind. Why did she care about the little girl? Were her feelings towards her younger sibling just a result of her slavery? Had the mother thought that protectors who actually liked their charges would be better? What had the little girl ever done to endear herself to her? To be frank, Amanda and her other siblings tended to act foolishly and get themselves in to trouble.

With a low growl she pushed the little girl away from her. The child meant nothing to her; she had no reason to care about it. "Sissy?" With a more insistent growl, Theta pushed the girl away again. "Did I do something wrong?" Theta felt a surge of guilt at the child's hurt expression. She didn't care; she had no reason to care for the child. She was unable to suppress a whimper as she realized none of her relationships were real.

She suppressed a tearful scoff, why would any of her relationships be real? She wasn't even a real person. She was a joke, a puppet that had been unaware of its strings. The most important relationship in her life had been with her Daddy. Her daddy who had been some mindless monstrosity bound to her by genetics. To think, she had idealized him, wanted to be just like him. A choked sob slipped past her lips, it looked like she got what she had wanted. She was her Daddy's little girl, the perfect mindless puppet to do the bidding of those who pulled her strings.

()

"He's ready for you." Leo gave the Splicer a mocking nod and stepped into the indicated room. The room was mostly empty save for the table its lone occupant was chained to.

"How has your stay been, my friend?" The Splicer chained to the table was beaten bloody, his left eye swollen shut.

"Go fuck yourself! You are nothing but Lamb's puppet!"

Leo chuckled at the Splicer's nerve. "That may be true, but I'm not the one chained to a table."

"I already told you fucking freaks every damn thing I know! Thompson and the surfacer have help from somewhere. I don't know where for fu-" The man's tirade cut off as he collapsed into a wet coughing fit, splattering blood on the table. "I-I said I don't know where, or-or who is helping them!"

Leo nodded absently as he leaned against the table. "Yes and you've stuck to that story since we captured you. I admit that you are surprisingly persistent with your obviously false story."

The Splicer's fear crazed eyes desperately attempted to find mercy in Leo's near black eyes. "P-please, I've told you everything I-I know…you h-have to believe me."

Leo grinned down at the smaller man. "For what it's worth my friend, I believe you." The Splicer released a relieved sigh as Leo placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "However…I'm a thorough man. It's like my Grandma used to say, 'better safe then sorry'." His briefly comforting hand latched onto the smaller man's shoulder. The veins of Leo's hand and the Splicer's shoulder began to blacken.

The Splicer's agonized screams echoed around the small room.

()

Tony smirked openly as the freak released a frustrated scream and stormed from the room. "Well she's stable." His remark earned him a glare from David, Tenenbaum, and Jack. After a moment's hesitation, David excused himself and followed the distraught freak from the room. His smug gaze was distracted, when his daughter latched onto his leg sniffling heartbrokenly. Tony sent the fleeing monster another glare; it looked like he had another reason to hate the damn thing.

"So what's the game plan?"

Tenenbaum shifted in place, obviously deep in thought as she pondered Sandy's question. "I would like to accompany you on your next outing. I would like to get a better idea of how the Splicer's have devolved, and the easiest way to do that would be to see for my self."

"D-do you think the Big Sister w-will be coming with us?"

Tenenbaum shrugged as she sent a worried glance after the departed beast. "I am unsure." A crash from deeper in their hideout caused the entire group to flinch. "It depends on how quickly she accepts what has happened, and what she decides to do."

"In all honesty, she's taking this better then I thought she would."

Tony sent Thompson an irritated glare. "Oh really? What did you expect her to do?"

The doctor shrugged idly, his gaze blank as he looked into the distance. "Violence wouldn't have been much of a surprise." Much to Tony's chagrin, the man had a point. He had been more surprised then he liked to admit when the monster had controlled itself and left before it broke down.

"Are you done bickering?" Tony sent the reproachful Tenenbaum a cowed nod. "Good." She turned towards Jack. "I believe that Neptune's Bounty would be a good location for our next series of attempts. The Splicer population has never fully recovered from your previous…escapade there. In general it appears to have been a fairly uneventful location since Lamb's rise to power. As such she won't expect Gatherers to go missing there."

Jack smirked slightly upon hearing Tenenbaum's plan. "And I'm familiar with the layout of the area."

"That's all well and good guys, but if the doc is coming with us who's staying with the kids?"

The group paused as they considered Sandy's valid concern. "I-I'll stay."

"Surprising, you're so brave to stay behind in safety."

"L-listen you arrogant j-jackass, the only reason I v-volunteered is b-because I know I'm the w-worst fighter here!" Tony was too surprised to respond to the small man.

"You go Harper! Stand up for yourself!" The silence stretched on awkwardly as everyone stared at Sandy after her outburst. "What? I like to root for the little guy." Tony released an exasperated sigh and put a hand to his face, this was going to be a long day.

()

Theta paced around the small bedroom, trembling with rage and fear. What was she supposed to do? It had always been so clear to her and now…she didn't know what to do. Why should she care about her family? Any residual affection for her family was simply a lingering byproduct of her slavery. She didn't care about Amanda or any of her other ex sisters. They had done nothing for her to gain her affection! A strangled sob escaped her throat. Why did she still care? She just wanted to not care. Needing an outlet of some kind, she hurled a lamp across the room with an enraged growl.

"Sam?" Shame washed over Theta, it joined the hectic whirlwind of anger, sadness, confusion, hurt, loss and above all else exhaustion that was overwhelming her. Why did he have to follow her? How is he not even a little bit mad?

"Sam, are you okay." Her back to David, Theta nodded and hoped with all her being that he would believe her and leave. Much to her frustration, his hand grabbed her shoulder and gently turned her around. She could have resisted if she had really wanted to, she could have resisted easily, but she was too tired, she didn't want to fight anymore.

She could see concern in his eyes, concern and anger, though the anger wasn't directed towards her. She almost laughed when she realized the human was angry _for_ her. "Are you okay?" He could no doubt see her tears, why would he even ask? With a distraught giggle, she shook her head as the tears began to pour forth again. How was she supposed to be okay? That was such a stupid question.

When David opened his arms, Theta accepted to offered hug with bone crushing force. She had known that her entire childhood had been some sort of indoctrinated slavery. After that she had thought that she would have been able to recognize if she were being controlled, she had been wrong.

"Do you want me to get Amanda?" At the mention of her faux sister, Theta released a hiss and shook her head. The little monster used her! She wanted nothing to do with her! "Are you sure?" Releasing a low growl she nodded her head, why wouldn't he drop the subject?

Much to her displeasure, David pulled away from the comforting embrace and studied her with his irritatingly perceptive gaze. "Do you…do you think that whatever feelings you have towards your sisters are what they wanted you to feel?" David didn't even flinch when she growled in response, why was he so good at reading her?

After a several second staring contest, Theta acquiesced and nodded her head. Having answered David's _evil_ question she moved to hug him again, he stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders. "You do realize that's bullshit, right?" Baring her teeth, Theta snarled at the impudent human. He couldn't understand what she was going through! Who was he to judge?

Raising his hands as his lips quirked up in his _infuriating_ half smirk, David tried to calm the angry experiment. "Before you eviscerate me, let me explain." Hurt flashed across Theta's face at his verbal barb. She hadn't wanted to harm him! She was so sorry! How could he mock her about that? If that was how he was going to be, she was going somewhere else. Sending a hurt glare towards the human, Theta stood and spun towards the door.

Before she could leave, his hand grabbed her bicep and he spun her around. Using her acidic yellow eyes to their full effect, Theta glared pointedly at the human's hand and bared her teeth. Immediately he released her and took a step back, raising his hands above his head in an attempt to appear non-threatening. Theta felt a small thrill of satisfaction at scaring the human; she forgot how fragile he was sometimes. How, with a flick of her wrist, she could break him easily.

"Look Sam, I didn't mean it that way. I-I'm sorry." Her brief thrill quickly became shame; she didn't want him to fear her…

"Before you go, just listen to what I have to say." Theta shifted uncomfortably in place, she wanted to show she was sorry but she didn't want to scare him again.

"When we first met, wouldn't it have been easier, safer even, to ignore what Amanda wanted and just kill me?" Theta paused, that was…kind of a good point.

"You weren't just some mindless slave, you had limited choice. You may have been programmed to protect the Little Sisters, but they didn't need you to actually care for them. _You_ made the choice to actually _care_ about your family." Theta studied his face intently; he seemed to truly believe what he was saying.

"_You _chose to care about what you were doing, instead of just going through the motions." Theta could remember her older siblings. Some had done just what David had described, mindlessly going through the motions. Others had actually cared for their charges, a few had hated them. Maybe he had a point…

"They may have forced you to protect the Little Sisters, but _you_ gave the task meaning. _You_ turned the need to protect them into love." Theta didn't know if he was right, hell there was a good chance he wasn't, but she was going to believe he was. If he wasn't right she didn't know what she would do.

Theta jerked in surprise as she realized something. Every relationship she had had been the result of her indoctrination and slavery, all except one. Her indoctrination should have driven her to kill David, she had spared him. She may have attacked him when directly ordered to, but he was the one person she had that she had chosen to befriend. He was the one person who she _knew_ she cared for, the one person who had earned her friendship. He may be irritatingly observant, comment on things at inappropriate times, and be almost worthless in a fight, but he was her friend, and she would protect him with her life.

With a happy hum Theta wrapped the surprised human in a tight hug. After a moment's hesitation, David's arms wrapped around her, as he began to rub comforting circles on her back. In response Theta nuzzled her face into his neck. She had found a purpose, she would protect him, and she would make sure that he got out of Rapture. She was a Protector, and she would give her life for her stupid…caring…sweet friend.

She was a Protector, and she would keep David safe…or die trying.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the wait, had a minor case of writer's block and my damn dog broke my thumb drive. In a strange stroke of luck my current chapter wasn't lost, I did however loose all my previous chapters and my character referances. *sigh* I'm going to need to remake those. I also spent some time finalizing where I wanted the story to go, and in what order I wanted stuff to take place. Anyways the next chapters should <span>hopefully<span> not take quite as long._

_As always please read and review._


	36. Bird without a Song

Pain is an abstract concept, an illusion really. It is nothing more then the body telling the brain it has been damaged. Evolution dictated that the survivors avoided damage and as such pain is unpleasant. This ensured that living things would shy away from pain when it was at all possible. To Leo, this was a flaw, a serious one. Because pain is painful it can immobilize you, render you incapable of defending yourself or avoiding further damage.

Now it might have been because he could no longer feel it, but Leo found himself growing a certain fascination for pain. And because he could no longer experience it himself he chose to inflict it on others. After all, it was like his Grandma used to say, 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'. Given that he no longer felt pain, Leo had no real problem if people wanted to torture him. If his Grandmother's saying still held true then his penchant for torture was acceptable behavior.

The Splicer Leo was working on didn't appear to share this opinion. The man's cries were no more then the disconcerting gurgles of a man chocking on his own blood. With a tight lipped smile, Leo finished nailing the man's arms to the wall of the elevator shaft. Feeling the beginnings of excitement in his stomach, he glanced down to his accomplice. "You got the feet?"

From her position crouched next to him, Protector M2 Alpha nodded up at him. He could tell from the way she tilted her helmeted head to the side she had a huge grin on her face. Before their fun could begin, Leo took a moment to inspect the girl's handy work. Much to his pleasure, the man's feet and legs were nailed securely to the elevator floor.

Sending his partner a conspiratorial wink, Leo started the elevator at its slowest setting. Almost immediately, the man began to moan in pain as his arms were pulled upwards and his legs pulled downwards. "P-please…p-please…I didn't do anything." Next to him, Alpha lazily pulled a glove off.

"I'm a loyal servant to Lamb. Y-you don't need to do this." Alpha's helmeted head tilted to the side as she examined her sharp nails with detached interest.

"I-I have money…I have Adam!" With a speed Leo had only seen in a Big Sister, Alpha's ungloved hand lashed forward. Her sharp nails dug into the man's tongue as her gloved hand caught his throat. His pained mumble quickly became an agonized scream as Alpha wrenched his tongue from his mouth.

The man thrashed against the wall, blood pouring from his mouth even as his vertebrae began to pop from the strain. With a hiss, Alpha unclasped her helmet and set it on the ground. Her strait blond hair brushed the bottom of her shoulder blades once it was released. Leo realized her reasoning for removing her helmet as she began to inspect the tongue up close. With a sick fascination she dug her razor sharp thumb nails into the meat and began to pry it apart.

Alpha's dissection was interrupted as the man loosed a final agonized scream. With the crack of breaking bone he came apart at the middle, almost as if unzipped. Blood exploded forth, drenching a surprised Alpha and a grinning Leo in the warm liquid. After a moment of surprised silence, Alpha let loose a laugh and began to clap ecstatically.

Leo simply watched the excited protector and waited for what he knew was about to occur. The girl was striking to look at, he'd give her that. She had an angular face and slightly slanted eyes. Her pale skin was drenched with blood, the red color contrasting with the eerie yellow glow of her eyes. After a moment she froze, inhaling deeply. If her pupils were visible, Leo was sure they would be pinpricks now.

The euphoric sensation the Adam had on the Protector quickly over road any self restraint the freak had, and she lunged at a grinning Leo. It was quite pathetic how it appeared to believe he actually felt something for it. Still at least it was a change of pace from the usual. Killing people did get boring after a while…even if it wasn't for long.

()

Theta shifted uncomfortably under the unfamiliar group's scrutiny. The doctor monster she was familiar with, she even trusted him a little. The witch was manipulative and Theta would not trust her, and the large monster was a…jackass. The others she was going to withhold judgment on until a later time. At least that way she wouldn't feel bad if she decided to kill them.

"Have the two of you come to a decision?" Theta felt a small surge of affection for the doctor monster. He was treating her like she was capable of making her own choices; that meant a lot to her. Smiling slightly at the tired looking doctor, she nodded her head and then allowed David to answer.

"Yeah, we have. We'll help out with the Little Sisters and trying to find a cure for Adam." Theta sent David a chastising glare and elbowed him in the arm. "And uh…if at any point we don't agree with the direction you are going we will leave."

The witch sent the duo a gracious smile and nodded her head. "I understand, you have a choice in this…" She glanced around at her other allies. "You all do. If any of you feel uncomfortable you can leave at any time."

"That won't be necessary Tenenbaum." Said the stoic monster with the tattoos, his name was…Jack?

"That's right Doc, we're in this for the long haul." The female monster had her hand resting on her sibling's shoulder. "I'll stay here until all these poor children are saved."

"I will kill every fucker who did this to my daughter." Theta glared unflinchingly back at the large monster as he sent her a murderous look, she wasn't afraid of mindless oafs like him.

"What's the game plan?" Said the female monster, Theta forgot her name, obviously trying to break the tension building between Theta and the arrogant monster.

"We'll be going to Neptune's Bounty." The tattooed mons-Jack said. "I was there the last time I was in Rapture and am familiar with its layout. According to Tenenbaum, the Splicer's never fully repopulated the area and it's been quiet ever since. You agree?"

It took Theta a moment to realize that Jack was asking her opinion. Her brow furrowed as she pondered his question. She was familiar with Neptune's Bounty. She'd been there before, though that was more out of curiosity then necessity. It had been quite dull, the Splicer's had been exceedingly wary of her and there hadn't been a recorded Gatherer attack there in longer then she could remember.

"Shit for brains, you gonna answer?"

Theta's face flushed in embarrassment when she realized she hadn't answered Jack's question. She sent David a small grateful smile when he hit the large monster in the shoulder in response. She turned from David and gave Jack a nod. "So, you agree?" Theta nodded again.

"Good, then we all know what we're doing. Oh and just so the two of you know; Harper will be staying behind to look after the girls and Tenenbaum will come with us." Theta suppressed a scowl; she didn't want to stay near the witch any longer then was necessary. Unfortunately David had no objections and simply nodded towards the manipulative hag.

Theta watched passively from her cross-legged position on the floor as the humans scurried about the room grabbing their various belongings and saying goodbye to their young family members. Her eyes found David as he crouched before a crying Amanda who seemed to be unwilling to let him leave. Her ex-sister's tearful brown gaze met hers briefly before Theta broke the contact. She felt no connection to the small being anymore; she only served as a reminder of her enslavement.

"D-do you need anything b-before you l-leave?" Theta sent the sniveling monster a surprised glance. Was he genuinely concerned for her, or was he attempting to suck up to her and or insure that she would not kill him at a later date? She shrugged internally; it didn't matter in the end. He wasn't going to finagle his way into her good graces; she could and would kill him effortlessly if she ever felt it was needed (or if he irritated her too much). "I-is that a no?" Theta shook her head and gave the small man a thumbs up, a sign she had learned from David, she was ready to go. While she no longer had her armor, she was still hard enough to kill that she shouldn't have too much trouble with Splicers and their ilk.

"Ready to go Sam?" Theta nodded towards David and accepted his hand as he helped her to her feet. After sending David a slight smile, Theta followed the other humans as they exited their safe area. A small thrill ran through her as the door opened and revealed Rapture in all its decayed glory. Adam was in the air, and it was calling her name.

()

Leo smirked unabashedly as Lamb sent him a stern glare. "The Sisters are here to protect the Rapture Family, not to serve as your playthings."

"I don't think what we did constitutes playing ma'am." Lamb's nose wrinkled in distaste as his thinly veiled innuendoes offended her.

"This is a serious matter! If you need to find a place to stick your cock, find yourself some poorhouse girl!" Leo raised an eyebrow at Lamb's use of a curse word. Something else must be going on; she wouldn't get this worked up over Leo's choice of entertainment.

Instantly he was all business. "What's the situation ma'am?"

Lamb sighed, pushing her horn rimmed glasses up her nose. "There have been rumblings among the family that Jack has been spotted in Rapture. Where that man goes Tenenbaum won't be far behind."

Leo barely resisted the urge to curse. The Splicers that made up the Rapture Family seemed to view Jack as a sort of messiah. Lamb preached that his lack of free will made him the precursor to the ideal utopian, and encouraged the Splicers to aspire to that kind of selflessness. Because of this many of the Splicers seemed to almost revere the man. If he started spouting anti Lamb bullshit to members of the Family many of the Splicers would be tempted to listen.

"You want me to take care of him ma'am?"

Lamb leaned back in her chair, looking tired. "No, not yet, we don't have any reliable information about his whereabouts. I don't want to send you on a fruitless chase when he will make himself known eventually." Spinning her chair around, Lamb peered out into the crushing depths her office window opened up on. "If he is here with Tenenbaum they will be on a 'crusade'. It is only a matter of time until they reveal themselves. When they do, I want you to take every Sister at your disposal and exterminate the problem."

Leo couldn't help but grin at the bloodshed that was rapidly approaching. "With pleasure ma'am."

()

Theta grumbled to herself, she couldn't remember ever being this bored while traveling. She had gotten used to David chatting with her as they walked, even though she was unable to respond. His silence was beginning to unnerve her; she supposed she was just spoiled from David being a constant source of amusement. "Your name's Samantha right?"

Theta jumped slightly in surprise and turned to the young female monster. The woman was smiling at Theta; she seemed to be attempting to be friendly. Theta supposed she could give her the benefit of the doubt, she sent the woman a nod. After a moment she gestured towards the woman and tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "My name?" Theta nodded. "I'm Sandy, nice to meet you."

The woman stuck her hand out towards Theta, who tilted her head to the side in confusion. Why was she sticking her hand out? After a moments hesitation she tentatively took the human's hand in her own. The woman moved their joined hands up and down before releasing her hold. Theta shook her head at the strange greeting; it appeared to be some sort of custom. Humans were so weird.

"Any juicy gossip?" Theta sent David a confused look as he grinned at her and the human female.

The girl laughed before responding with a smirk. "Oh yeah, she was telling me all about you." No she wasn't.

"Should I be concerned?"

The girl laughed again. "No…but I'd get that rash looked at. It'll put the ladies off." David had a rash? Why hadn't he told her? She might have been able to help.

"I'm trying! Proper medical treatment is hard to find down here!" David proceeded to scratch exaggeratedly at his lower stomach, causing Sandy to laugh once more.

Theta sent the human girl a glare, why was she laughing at him? She should be helping him. Whining softly, Theta grabbed David's chin. She gently turned his head this way and that, searching for any signs of a rash. Finding none she started to inspect his arms before he stopped her. She looked up at David in surprise, feeling slightly hurt. Did he not want her help?

"Sam, I don't have a rash." What? Why would he? "I was just joking around with Sandy, I'm fine." Theta's face flushed in embarrassment as she lowered her head. He had been joking…why hadn't she seen that? He would tell her if something was wrong, he trusted her. Didn't he?

What if what was wrong with him was something emotional, something that required words to help? Theta gritted her teeth as a surge of self loathing pulsed through her. She _hated_ what she was. She _hated_ being a monster. She would give anything to be normal, to be able to speak. She watched as David, probably thinking she was mad at him, turned his back to her and continued to follow the others.

Her mouth opened and a soft hiss came out. Hearing the inhuman sound, her jaws shut with a snap. Her hatred for herself increased. There were things she wanted to say, things she _needed_ to say. Things she wanted to say to him, about him, about herself. Things too complicated for her simple hand signals and inhuman noises.

She shook her head as frustration, sadness, and anger fought for domination inside her head. Why couldn't she speak? Why couldn't she express herself? Was that really too much to ask? Why couldn't he just understand her? Isn't that what friends do? Isn't that what he was supposed to do?

There were questions she had, questions she barely understood herself. How was she supposed to communicate things she barely understood in her simplistic, pathetic, _idiotic_ way?

How was she supposed to show him she cared?

()

Harper glanced around Tenenbaum's lab in frustration. How the hell was he supposed to know what it was he was looking for? The girls had been put to bed several minutes ago, giving Harper free reign of the hideout for the first time. In one corner of the lab where a collection of tissue samples from various Splicers, Jack, and the experiment. Tenenbaum hadn't actually told the experiment she had taken samples. Harper had the feeling that wouldn't go over well if she found out.

On an operating table in the center of the room was a partially dissected Adam leech. The slimy creature was dark red, almost black. It had several softly glowing purplish red spots on its body. Were those Adam concentrations or something? As Harper leaned towards the foul creature, studying it curiously, it twitched. Its head darted towards his hand, sinking its hook like teeth into his skin. Releasing a pained hiss, Harper jerked his hand away from the little demon.

He raised his fist over his head, barely resisting the urge to kill the damn thing. Turning away from the writhing piece of filth he saw what he was looking for. Inside a glass container were a couple dozen containers filled with a purplish red liquid. Adam.

Harper walked to the large cabinet. He gingerly grabbed the handles and pulled at the doors. Unsurprisingly they didn't open. Great, he needed a key. If he was Doc Tenenbaum where would he hide a key? Not on her person, that would be too dangerous. She could loose it, or it could be stolen. It would be here, somewhere in the hideout.

Groaning in frustration, Harper began his search. A few bangs echoed from the girls' room causing Harper to roll his eyes. They were probably jumping on the bed or something; of course they wouldn't just go to sleep. He made his way towards their room, grabbing two pep bars on the way. Maybe he'd be able to bribe them to sleep; he'd never been good with kids.

As he neared the girls' room he heard soft crying. They were crying. It wasn't that surprising really. They were going through a lot. He arrived at the door, several bangs followed by an echoing crash sounded from the room. Harper paused as dread nestled itself in his chest. There was no way two kids were making that much noise.

Carefully pulling his pistol out, he opened the door. A hulking monstrosity had its back to him. It appeared to be some sort of Big Daddy, though it wasn't a type he was familiar with. It wasn't as hulking as the others though it was still well over seven feet in height. Its armor was corroded and in ill repair, dozens of barnacles encrusting its putrescent surface. Its most distinguishing feature was its right arm.

The limb appeared to be heavily mutated. It had swollen to the point where it had broken free of the armor constraining it and its fingers were now simply useless lumps of flesh at the end of the malformed limb. Its bloated flesh writhed as unseen _things_ moved about beneath its skin. The girls cowered before the monstrosity, probably seeing it for what it truly was as their indoctrination began to break.

As Harper clicked the hammer of his pistol back, the beast sprung into action. Screaming in mindless rage it spun around. Harper got one shot off, hitting it in its fleshy shoulder, before its armored fist sent him falling into blackness.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter then the others. The chapter I was writing got longer and longer and this seemed like a good place to cut it in half.<em>


	37. Just Die Already

The emptiness of Neptune's Bounty was disconcerting to Theta. Even near abandoned areas had the occasional monsters, be they individuals or small groups. Neptune's Bounty had been absolutely silent; even Theta's enhanced senses couldn't detect anyone outside of her group. Her low growls accurately portrayed everyone's feelings. The large monster in particular seemed on edge, his eyes darting suspiciously in her direction at regular intervals. Theta sent him a glare and bared her teeth, if the beast thought she was setting him up for an ambush he was a fool.

"Where the hell is everyone?" David shared her nervousness it seemed. She wished she could comfort him, but she shared his concerns. For an area of Rapture this large to be utterly deserted was unprecedented.

"I don't know, but keep your guard up. This isn't natural." Theta nodded in confirmation of Jack's comment, she was…concerned.

The group slowly advanced deeper into the fishing settlement, eyes carefully surveying the area for any and all possible hostiles. "Do you know where they might congregate Jack?"

Jack sent the witch an apologetic glance before shaking his head. "No, the Splicers have scrapped some areas and built up others. I have no way of knowing what they've changed."

The witch nodded with a barely audible sigh. "Well it was worth asking."

Theta grumbled to herself inside the privacy of her own mind. She could hear generators in almost every building in the settlement, monsters _had _to be here. Where the hell were they?

Still on edge the group entered the central courtyard of the monster's settlement in Neptune's Bounty. The road they were following forked and ramshackled buildings extended down each fork. They were haphazardly thrown together from sheet metal, cardboard, concrete and other bits and bobs. In the center of the split in the path there was a small statue. It was a crude depiction of a man. He was holding a gun and a vial of Eve aloft. As she squinted at the strange figure she noticed jagged markings on its wrists. They looked almost like a tattoo…almost like Jack's tattoo…

Simultaneously, every generator in the settlement switched off and Theta's blood ran cold. There were monsters _everywhere_ they must have been using the generator's sound to make it more difficult for her to sense them. They were packed into every building like vermin, attempting to hold still and stay quiet.

Snarling a warning to her allies, Theta spun towards David, readying herself to protect him. Before she could get within a foot of the startled human, much to her surprise, the floor gave out beneath her feet. Despite her surprise, Theta was able to land on her feet, unlike her allies who were groaning on the ground.

A trap! They had stumbled into a trap! _She _had stumbled into a trap! The floor around the statue of Jack had collapsed, sending Theta's group falling into a twenty foot deep pit. The walls were featureless metal, not a handhold in sight. While she would be able to leave easily, her human allies would have a much harder time of it. Shuffled footsteps alerted her to the arrival of the monsters. Dozens of the twisted freaks lined the edges of the pit, their mocking jeering further angering the frustrated experiment.

By this time her human allies were getting to their feet. Groaning the large monster got to his feet before sending Theta a glare. "Where the hell was our warning freak?" Theta bared her teeth towards the oaf, when they got out of this she was going to murder that idiot!

"Oh shut up Tony! Is this really the-fuck!" Sandy yelped in pain and put a hand to her forehead. It came away bloody, one of the monsters had thrown something at her. The monsters were pacing back and forth around the edge of the pit, the sight of blood stirring them into frenzy. Their crazed screams and enraged cries rose in volume as they psyched themselves up for the kill.

A large monster shoved its way to the front of the pack, hefting a bottle of some sort of alcohol. Laughing cruelly it lit a makeshift fuse and hurled it into the pit. Theta smiled as she tracked the falling cocktail and raised a hand, it was time for a show of force. A ball of lightning exploded from the palm of her hand and impacted the bottle, shattering it and vaporizing the combustible liquid. Capitalizing on the monster's stunned silence; Theta threw her head back and released her patented scream.

The monsters hesitated, glancing nervously amongst themselves, obviously unsure how to deal with this newest threat. "Calm down, we aren't in a good position." Theta sent Jack a glance before pointedly looking at the hand on her shoulder. It was swiftly removed. Raising his hands above his head, Jack stepped forward. "We didn't come here to fight."

A gravely voice echoed from the various speakers strewn around the area. "Your ill tempered friend says otherwise." Theta's head snapped to a camera mounted on the corner of a building, her teeth bared.

The witch stepped forward, limping from the fall. "I assure you we did not come here to fight."

The voice over the speakers chuckled. "Awfully heavily armed if you come in peace. How about a show of good faith? Put your weapons on the ground."

"Not a chance in hell!" Theta rolled her eyes at the large monster's idiocy.

Jack crossed his arms, shrewdly inspecting the nearest camera. "People don't act on faith in Rapture, you should know that."

Static hissed over the loudspeakers as the man in charge sighed to himself. "Very well." A claxon sounded in the distance. After several seconds the monsters began to disperse, grumbling as they did. "Now." A crane moved slowly into place, when it stopped a massive cargo crate was hovering above the pit. "I've done something for you so now you do something for me. Put your weapons on the ground. Or…I could release the crane."

Sandy released a nervous laugh and put her pistol on the ground. "That seems reasonable…right?"

Slowly every other member of Theta's little group set their weapons on the ground. The large monster was the last, grumbling to himself as he did it.

"Good, I like that. Tit for tat. Mutual gain, cooperation, team work!" A security bot hovered down to their level; it had some sort of magnet attached to its casing. With a slight hum, it activated and the group's guns flew to it. Before anyone in the group could think about retrieving their weapons it flew off.

The humans seemed quiet nervous after the loss of their weapons. Theta could understand their fear even if she had no such concerns. After all, you can't disarm plasmids. "Well this sucks." Theta snatched David's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. When he glanced over at her she offered him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She wouldn't let anything happen to him.

The sound of metal grating on metal caused Theta to flinch slightly. A series of metal rungs emerged from the steep wall, giving the human's a way out of the pit. The large monster shouldered his way to the ladder only to be stopped by Jack. "I should go first."

The large monster sent Jack an irritated glance. "Why's that?" Jack pointedly lit his hand on fire before pushing the large monster out of the way. Theta smirked towards the large monster before effortlessly leaping out of the pit. She landed in a crouch; her gaze immediately felling upon several monsters who were taking their sweet time leaving. Baring her teeth she took a quick step towards them and hissed. The monsters didn't look back as they ran from the area.

Hearing Jack nearing the top of the ladder Theta crouched before it. After a few seconds the man's hand appeared on the edge of the pit, with a slight grunt he pulled himself further up. Seeing the experiment peering at him, Jack extended a hand. Theta paused, tilting her head curiously to the side. "You gonna give me a hand?" Smiling slightly, Theta grabbed the human's hand and pulled him all the way out. Nodding his thanks away, Theta helped Thompson up.

"Do you have any idea who this guy is Jack?" Theta listened to the duo's conversation with detached interest as she watched the others climb the ladder.

"No, the only person who had any power in Neptune's Bounty last time I was here was Peach Wilkins and well…he's dead." Theta helped Sandy up, offering the woman a brief smile.

"Do you recognize his voice?" Theta 'helped' the Witch, being _slightly_ less gentle then was strictly necessary.

"No, I'm pretty sure he isn't one of Rapture's major players." She smiled broadly at David as she helped him up, giving him a quick hug before he could react.

"Well, let's hope he's marginally saner then most of Rapture's ilk." She could hear the large monster grunting as he climbed the ladder, his oversized paws and large stature making the climb harder for him then it was for the others. Dangling a leg off the ledge, Theta watched the monster slowly climb.

"You going to help bitch?" Theta smirked down at the struggling monster. Feeling rubble beneath her hand, she picked up a small pebble. "You forget I'm here you imbecile?" Stifling a giggle, Theta tossed the pebble at the large monster. It pinged off of his forehead earning her a pained grunt. "Do that again! I dare you!" Another pebble followed the first. The monster growled dangerously. The next hit him in the eye. "I'm fucking warning you!" The next, significantly larger then the others, hit him square in the nose. Upon hearing the cracking sound that followed, Theta lapsed into a fit of giggles.

After a few more seconds of climbing the large monster reached the ledge. He glared at her, his nose bloody and swollen. "At least going to give me a hand freak?" Theta was livid instantly. She was _not_ a freak! Growling, she planted her bare foot on the monster's forehead. His eyes widened as he realized her intentions. "Don't you d-" Theta pushed.

When David chastised her later, she made a point of looking apologetic.

()

The ground around the house was covered in ash, so much it was even falling from the sky. A few specks fell onto Alpha's visor, when she reached up to wipe it off her hand came away wet. Was powdered ice falling from the sky? Briefly, curiosity overwhelmed the urge to complete her mission and her gaze moved about the landscape.

Hills like frozen waves extended as far as the eye could see, they were also covered in the ashwater. Wooden spindly things cropped up seemingly at random, they looked almost like the things from Arcadia but there was no green. A few smallish habitats were situated amongst the hills, the humans inside them sleeping peacefully. The great emptiness above her was grey and murky, like the sea after a storm. She was unable to see the great black sea that normally consumed the sky.

Shaking off her foolish curiosity, Alpha stalked to the nearest house, the ashwater crunching underfoot. Arriving at a glass door, she peered inside the darkened home. Seeing no movement, she pulled a hand back to shatter the glass. On a hunch she stopped short. A gloved hand grasped the door's handle and gently pulled. The door opened without protest. The idiots hadn't even locked up for the night; apparently they thought they were safe.

Despite the darkness, Alpha could see the living area clearly. A few seats around some sort of fire pit in the wall, a half wall with a counter and various knives and other cutlery, a large metal box that radiated a slight aura of cold. Senses alert for any sign of detection, Alpha advanced further into the house.

Catching movement from the corner of her eye, Alpha spun, hands alight. Some sort of creature was perched on the back of a seat, unconcernedly studying her. Irritated by its lack of alarm, Alpha sent a spark towards its sinuous tail. Leaping off the couch with a shockingly loud yowl, the creature shot towards the stairs. It was fast, Alphas harpoon was faster. With a crunch, Alpha's harpoon hit the animal's head. Hearing movement from the upper level, she stalked towards the stairs, leaving the dead animal hanging from the three foot metal spear.

As she crested the stairs a door at the far end of the floor opened, she could clearly see the outline of a male human in the doorway. With an irritated huff, Alpha sent the thing flying backwards and slammed the door shut; she wasn't in the mood to play. Telekinetically holding the door closed, Alpha entered her target's room. To her surprise it was empty.

For a moment she thought she had the wrong room, the pink décor, overabundance of stuffed animals and miniature plastic people proved that hunch wrong. Snarling at this unwelcome occurrence, she grabbed the bed and hurled it across the room. The child was not under the bed. Her anger spiking, she tore the door to the closet off of its hinges. It was also empty. With an enraged growl she set the child's clothing on fire. Spinning around she sent a wave of fire over the tiny building in the corner, the plastic humans inside melted like wax. A worn stuffed bear caught her eye, it was old and falling apart but patched. Clearly it was well cared for despite its age. Snarling in directionless rage she picked the object up.

Studying the strange toy, Alpha felt her rage slowly subsiding. Images of a small blond girl hugging a stuffed bear to her chest flashed through her mind, the sound of a comforting feminine voice reading stories, the smell of baking cookies and a crackling fire. A trembling hand caressed the bear's head. She was sitting on a familiar knee, the smell of tobacco and aftershave filled her nose. A calloused hand brushed the hair from her face. The man handed her a brightly colored package and instructed her to open it. With childlike exuberance she tore the package apart, inside was a stuffed bear. His name had been Patrick…

A beautiful laugh filled the air as an elegant woman entered the room. Her white teeth flashed as she smiled at her family. Her mouth opened and words came out, the words were long forgotten but the comforting affect they had was not. The elegant woman picked her up and placed a kiss on her forehead. Her declarations of love though unclear were still understood.

The scene changed, the room was dark. She clenched Patrick close as she meandered about the room, some small part of her registering that something was wrong. A crash startled her and she spun around. The woman was leaning against a counter, a knife clenched in her trembling hand. Her skin was ashen, her eyes surrounded by dark rings. Attempting to be comforting the woman asked her to come over to her. Knowing something was wrong she had refused. All pretenses of kindness vanished and the woman, her mother, lunged at her with a snarl. A man, impossibly large to her childish mind, grabbed the woman and began to struggle with her.

When her mother had sold her for a vial of Adam she had been too shocked to react. The image of Patrick stained with blood and her Father's throat slashed ear to ear fresh in her young mind.

Alpha blinked, her gaze falling on the stuffed bear in her hand, the best friend of some child. The sound of tearing fabric filled the room and Alpha discarded the decapitated toy carelessly.

The girl might not be here but the parents would know where she was. Smiling behind her visor, Alpha headed towards their room. Maybe she was in the mood to play after all…

()

"You will follow." David sent a bemused glance to the surprisingly stealthy Splicer standing next to him. He recognized it as the large one that had hurled the Molotov cocktail at them. Its twisted features were warped further by the glare they were sending his way. With an impatient huff it motioned for the group to follow it.

"Where are you taking us?"

The man's baleful gaze focused on David as he bared his misshapen teeth. "You will follow."

"Not until you-" David was cut off when the apparently short tempered man lost his patience. A deformed three fingered hand grabbed him by the throat and threw him away. He rolled several feet before coming to a stop. Despite being slightly dazed he still had the presence of mind to stop things before they got out of hand. "Sam no!"

Sitting up he was unsurprised to see that Sam had almost cleared the distance in between herself and the Splicer. Much to his relief she had listened to his dazed command and had settled for glaring at the Splicer.

Reaching consensus without words, their group followed the irritable Splicer.

()

Snarling, Alpha pointed towards the child's picture once again. The only response she received was more pitiful blubbering from the female. "P-please. D-d-don't do this." Deftly she grabbed the man's pointer finger, angling it upwards she lined a seven inch nail up with the tip. With another snarl she nodded towards the child's picture. "P-please…don't m-make me choose."

A crack echoed throughout the room as she jammed the metal object underneath the man's fingernail. His screams physically hurt her ears. The woman's distraught sobbing began anew. Alpha grabbed the man's middle finger, tearing the bloody spike from his ruined digit she lined it up with the next. She nodded towards the girl's picture. "Don't make me ch-choose." A pitiful sob. "P-please."

Another crack, more screams, more sobbing. Alpha deftly readied the man's next finger. She nodded towards the girl's picture.

The woman didn't react; she just rocked back and forth hiccupping back sobs. Alpha rolled her eyes at the woman's ineptitude. She pulled her arm back, blood drenched spike at the ready.

She paused, eyeing the woman for any indication she might talk.

Unsurprisingly she didn't move, the spike surged forward. "W-wait. J-just wait."

The spike stopped a hairsbreadth from the trembling man's finger. "She…she's at her friend's…down, down the street. Just please…don't hurt anyone else…_please_."

Alpha growled softly, and nodded to the picture again. Down the street was hardly specific directions. "You w-won't hurt him?" Alpha tossed the blood drenched nail to her other hand, after a moment's pause she raised her hands over her head non-threateningly. "T-the blue house on the corner, it has the number 657 next to the door. N-now let us go…please."

Alpha nodded to herself, deep in thought. The house they described couldn't be too hard to find. "C-can we go?" Alpha paused staring at the trembling female. She supposed they were no longer a threat; they couldn't do anything to harm her. But…they were loose ends. Alpha didn't like loose ends.

With a sickening crunch, the man's skull caved in as Alpha shoved the metal spike into his temple. The woman's mouth opened, a horrified scream building in her lungs. Before the scream could become more then a hoarse whimper, Alpha's harpoon punched clean through her skull.

Casually wiping some excess blood off of her gloved hands, Alpha moved to the window. Moving the curtain aside, she gazed down the street. Her eyes quickly found the described house. Alpha smiled to herself.

Her prey was in sight.

()

"We need their location, without it we might as well have nothing."

"We know that they're in the city, that they're planning something. That's something." It was rare that Leo was the optimistic one.

Lamb sent the man an irritated glare. "We need to focus on locating them. If we can't find where they are based we will be forced to _re_act to their actions. We need to be offensive _not _defensive. Tenenbaum is too dangerous for us to be allowed free reign of the city."

Internally Leo grumbled, unfortunately the doctor had a point. "I've put feelers out; if anyone in Rapture sees them we'll be the first to know."

Lamb's glare deepened. "You think of everything don't you?" Leo raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to react. Lamb sighed. "Get out."

"Are you s-"

"Out. Now. The Family can take care of itself. If I need you, you will be the first to know."

Times like this it was best to leave Lamb alone. With a respectful "ma'am", Leo nodded to her and left.

Slamming the door behind himself, Leo stalked down the hallway leading from Lamb's office. If it wasn't for the leverage she had over him he'd have blown the arrogant shrew's skullcap clean off, the Family be damned.

"S-sir." Leo sent an irritated glance to the trembling Splicer that had interrupted him.

"_What_?" Leo's biting response caused the jumpy Splicer to nearly leap from its skin.

"W-we got a new prisoner boss. I th-think you'll want to talk to him."

"Fine." Internally Leo grinned, nothing like an interrogation to brighten his day.

The familiar layout of the prison chamber was unchanged despite the occupation of their newest 'guest'. The Splicer in question had obviously seen better days. The left side of his face was consumed with a mammoth bruise. What once was probably a prominent nose was smashed into his face. It was swollen indicating that the wound had occurred somewhat recently. Claw marks covered his arms and chest, some still oozing blood.

Leo sat opposite the beaten man, grinning at his obvious misfortune. "So…Buddy…your day just keeps getting worse doesn't it?"

The Splicer twitched violently, his enraged black eyes focusing on Leo with deranged intensity. "My name is _not_ Buddy…its BANES!"

* * *

><p><em>A rather Alpha heavy chapter, I know. I wanted to show that she isn't <em>just_ a mindless killing machine...she's just a mostly mindless killing machine._

_Oh and don't blame me! Banes wouldn't leave me alone!_


	38. Christmas for Big Sister

The large, vacant eyed monster led them through vacant streets of Neptune's Bounty. He never paused at an intersection, never stopped to make sure he was going the right way. He simply stalked down the street, blank eyes staring unseeingly into the distance. The monster's silence and their unknown destination greatly unnerved the group. If David had had a knife on him he'd have tested the validity of the saying cutting tension with a knife.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Sandy's softly spoken question lingered in the air for several seconds before any in the group responded.

"Whoever is directing the Splicer has control over the district's security systems. While I could handle security fairly easily you would not be able to. Without Adam in your blood allowing the first aid kits to work you would be in serious trouble very quickly. So in short, the alternative is worse." To David's right, Sam hummed in agreement with Jack.

Tony, it appeared, disagreed. "This is fucking idiotic!" Short patience apparently having run out, he stopped walking and sent the Splicer a glare. "Until you tell us where we're going and who you're taking us to, I am not moving."

For several seconds the Splicer kept walking, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Tony had addressed it or that he had stopped following. Only when the others stopped as well did he react. Slowly turning around he gestured forward with one malformed hand. "Walk."

"Not until you tell us what the hell's going on."

Oblivious to Tony's hostile demeanor the Splicer repeated the gesture. "Walk."

"Shit for brains, we said no."

The Splicer stared uncomprehendingly at Tony for several seconds, apparently trying to process what he'd said. Craggy features shifting slightly into a frown the Splicer repeated the gesture. "Walk."

When no one moved the Splicer shifted in place, his dead gaze sweeping over the others in the rebellious group. As his baleful white eyes swept over David, he was unable to suppress a shudder. There was something wrong with his eyes, the vacant white orbs were dull almost unseeing. If it wasn't for the fact that the Splicer obviously could see, David would have pegged him as blind.

The gesture was repeated once again as the man's features beginning to twist into a faint glare. "Walk."

A chill went down David's spine as he realized what was wrong with the Splicer. His eyes weren't blind; there was just almost nothing in them. There was no spark of life, of intelligence behind his eyes. They were blank, almost marble like, white orbs. It was as if whomever the man had once been was gone, leaving some empty soulless husk behind.

"Walk…now." The man took a shuffling step towards Tony, blank eyes fixed unblinkingly on him.

"Tony, I-I don't think he understands you."

For once the large man actually appeared unnerved, cautiously studying the large Splicer staring at him. "I think you're right about that Sandy."

The Splicer came to a stop in front of Leo, his blank eyes studying the unnerved man. "Walk."

"Yeah…will do." Seemingly satisfied, the Splicer did an about face and shuffled away leaving the increasingly concerned group to follow.

()

The ashwater was falling from the sky much harder now, restricting Alpha's vision to about thirty feet. It crunched dryly beneath her feet as she stalked across the concrete river. Or was it road? The slippery ashwater coating the road moved suddenly, taking Alpha's foot with it. With an oomph the air left Alpha's lungs and she found herself on her back.

Growling softly to herself, she moved to a crouch. Taking a moment to ensure that she was sure footed once again, Alpha moved to stand. A peculiar noise halted her progress. Something was rumbling in the distance, rapidly growing in volume. Standing slowly she turned around, casting her gaze into the sky.

There was a light in the distance, hovering stationary in the air. No wait…it was moving slowly, she could track its way as it slowly moved through the sky. The rumbling kept rising in volume, quickly reaching unbearable levels. Head twitching unintentionally at the uncomfortable noise, Alpha watched uncertainly as the light got bigger.

The noise reached unbearable levels; she could feel it vibrating through her chest. Whimpering she fell to her knees as the light passed overhead. Glancing up through tearing eyes, she watched in confused awe as some…thing flew overhead roaring like some monstrous creature.

Alpha's awed staring was interrupted by a screeching noise. Snapping her head to the source of the noise she saw a large shape with twin lights mounted on it rapidly heading towards her. With the force of a charging Daddy the unknown object slammed into her.

()

Their meandering journey ended at a large metal door. Raising a malformed fist, their guide rapped twice on the door. His task apparently completed, he did an about face before stopping and staring blankly into space.

A series of metal clanks signaled various locking mechanisms deactivating. Theta could faintly hear muffled cursing as whatever monster was inside wrestled with the multiple locks. After several seconds the door opened without warning and they found themselves face to face with Neptune's Bounty's leader.

He was…not what Theta had been expecting to say the least. The first thing she noticed about him was his height, he was short almost laughably so. Even Sandy was taller then him, and she was the shortest in their group. The second thing she noticed about the man was his weight, he was…rotund for lack of a better word. His waist was almost as wide as he was tall. Privately Theta wondered if he was pushed down a hill if he would roll. Snickering at that mental image Theta leaned slightly against David.

"Please, come in, come in." The monster's voice was surprisingly deep for its small body size. Seeing that the others weren't moving to follow he grinned. "Oh no need to fear, what could I possibly do to the likes of you. I'm unarmed after all...though so are you."

Laughing at what was apparently a joke the monster motioned for them to follow. Seeing that the others weren't following Theta rolled her eyes, she wasn't scared of some jiggling ball of flab. The monster's creepy smile widened as he saw her enter his room and the others following her lead.

"Welcome to my humble abode my friends. I am…" The monster gave a theatrical bow. "Theodore O'Leary." The monster's home was filled with machinery and wires. Several screens displayed what looked to be a map of the area and there was a monitoring station in the corner that showed the views of various cameras locate around Neptune's Bounty. "As you can see, I've got quiet the set up here."

"Yeah…this is…nice." Theta sent David a raised eyebrow before looking back to the rotund monster.

"Yes…and it was this setup that showed me just who was traveling with you. It's been what? Eight years Jack?"

Jack jerked in surprise, eyes narrowing as he tried to remember if they had met before. "I don't think I know you."

Releasing a friendly laugh the monster waved his hand dismissively. "I wouldn't expect you to; you were rather busy slaughtering the residence of this armpit of the city weren't you?" The rotund individual sat casually in a large padded seat. "I was there; I almost ran into you…happily some of my more hostile brothers attacked and I was able to hide."

Jack shifted uncomfortably, nervously glancing towards the others. "I'm…sorry?"

The man laughed before spinning around in his chair a few times. "Oh, don't be sorry. If you hadn't done that I wouldn't have this proposition for you." He came to a stop his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the group with something akin to cunning. "Because of your previous escapades throughout the city, many of the Splicers viewed you in an almost reverent way. Jack that bastard son of Andrew Ryan, created in a lab by his father's nemesis Frank Fontaine. Born without freewill he was still able to kill both his father and his creator."

Seemingly ignoring Jack's piercing glare, the monster leaned forward grin widening. "Doc Lamb capitalized on this and began to preach that you were the ideal that all her 'true utopians' should aspire to. Many followed only because they thought it was what _you_ would have done."

Theta glanced around at her companions; it appeared that besides the witch she was the only one not surprised by the revelation of what Jack was. She'd heard tales of the 'great Jack', after seeing what Jack could do she had had her suspicions.

Jack appeared incensed at the monster's inconsiderate telling of his story; he must have feared what the others would think. He must not want to be seen as a monster…Theta could sympathize. Though as far as monsters went, he was a lucky one. There was no mistaking her for a human…

"What are you proposing?" The tension was obvious in Jack's voice.

"I am proposing that you utilize your…unique situation for _our_ advantage. Set me up as the _official _leader here, not just the guy all the drugged out Splicers fear, and I'll use my power to get you what you want." The monster paused, his gaze turning lecherous as he surveyed Sandy. "What is it you want? Money? I can do that. Women? I can do that though…" He chuckled, eyes purposefully focusing on Sandy's chest. "They won't hold a candle to that."

"Fuck off you shrimpy creep."

The monster's only reaction to Sandy's insult was a wink. "Adam? I can do that."

Seemingly pushing aside his anger for the time being, Jack grinned. "We don't want Adam, or money. Women though…we're looking for a certain type…a certain rare type."

The monster's grin widened as he saw Jack taking the bait. "Oh, you can tell me. I'm not the type to judge…"

"We're looking for the short, pale skinned, yellow eyed variety."

The monster leaned back in his chair, face a mask of disappointment. "Oh…Jack…Jack…Still on your crusade? I'd have thought that the whole freewill thing would have made you a bit more…selfish."

Jack's eyes narrowed as he sent the small monster a piercing glare. "No, it just made me sympathize more with those that don't have the gift of freewill."

"Fine, I can do that. It's fucking pointless though. The more you save the more Lamb will take from up top." He leaned forward cunning black eyes lingering on the witch. "You already know how to save those little brats, why do you have the penitent sinner with you?"

The witch smiled slightly as she nodded to the obnoxious ball of fat. "As I assume you know, I was the one who found the cure for the Little Sisters." The monster nodded. "I am attempting to expand on it. I plan to modify it so it doesn't only work on Little Sisters. To do that I need two things, protection…" She gestured around herself to the group. "and Adam."

The monster sat still, seemingly deep in thought for several second. It turned fully to the witch, its gaze serious for the first time. "You…you really think you can cure…all of this?"

The witch smiled and gave the monster a nod.

The monster's boisterous laugh echoed around the small room as he shook his head. Wiping a tear from his eye he smiled broadly. "Well hell…in that case I'd help you even if you couldn't help me. You can help me however, so…I'll need to call a meeting."

Eyes narrowed in suspicion the large monster stepped forward. "A meeting for what?"

"Why a meeting for Jack to publicly denounce Lamb and appoint me the leader of Neptune's Bounty…what else?

()

"-all the poli-" Pain wracking her body jolted her to consciousness. "-ou all right?" Alpha blinked confusedly, idly wondering why there was ashwater gently falling onto her face. "Are you okay sweetheart?" Bemused, Alpha allowed her eyes to focus on the human leaning over her prone body. Much to her surprise he seemed genuinely concerned for her. "Why the hell are you dressed like a spaceman?"

Alpha sent a confused gaze over her body. Her suit had been damaged by whatever had impacted her. Groaning she sat up, glaring slightly at the human standing above her. "Those are some bizarre contacts you got there." What were contacts?

She moved to stand, only to hiss in pain. Her leg was broken. "Don't worry, there's an ambulance on the way." What was an ambulance, and why was it supposed to help her? "Damn, when I hit you I thought you were dead."

Alpha's gaze was fixed on the unfamiliar human instantly. He did this…he hurt her. With a flick of her wrist she sent the man flying into a drift of the ashwater. Wrapping her fingers around the dented bumper on the front of the man's vehicle, Alpha flipped it over her head and brought it down on the man. The man screamed once before, with a crunch of metal and bone, he fell silent.

Snarling to herself, and ignoring the horrified yells coming from the other humans who had witnessed the…incident, Alpha limped towards her target's home. Having lost her patience, she didn't bother checking to see if the door was locked, she simply thrust her hand forward and blew the door off of its hinges.

Ignoring the strange sirens that seemed to be approaching, she advanced into the house. Already screams were echoing throughout the interior, she was eager to see if she could add to them.

()

"You're supposed to be a Big Sister right?" Theta sent the rotund monster a surprised glare. What sort of question was that?

Obviously seeing her irritation, the fat monster raised its hands defensively. "I meant that, you seem…ill equipped for a Big Sister." Theta's glare deepened. She knew she had no armor; the stupid freak didn't need to rub it in.

"You're quite prickly aren't you? While you've been growling I've been trying to find a way to say that I think I could help with that." Theta paused, head tilting to the side; did he mean that he could get her equipment?

"If you would follow me please?" Theta sent a bemused look David's way before moving to follow the rotund monster. Despite herself, she was comforted when she heard him fall into step behind her. She knew it was stupid, that it was irrational, and that anything that could kill her would certainly obliterate him. She just couldn't really help herself, she felt safer when he was near.

"So…what's the surface like? Has it changed much?"

"Um…well there was World War Two…"

"I'm aware of that! I meant what subtler things have changed."

"I don't know, it's the world how much really changes?"

"Fine, if you won't tell me I'll just have to wait to see for myself."

Glancing at David out of the corner of her eye, Theta could clearly see that he was trying to hide the fact that he was upset. Thinking of his home clearly saddened him. Theta felt her anger flare slightly at the monster's insensitivity. Anyone with a brain should know that David wouldn't want to talk about that. Humming, in what she hoped was a comforting manner, Theta grabbed his hand in hers. She was relieved to see the ghost of a smile appear on David's face and for his hand to give hers a grateful squeeze.

"And if you lovebirds are quite finished, here we are."

Theta turned to snarl at the monster but stopped short, her eyes widening in shock.

"Holy hell..."

Inwardly, Theta agreed with David's assessment. Hundreds of weapons were arrayed on various weapons racks. They appeared to be roughly organized by weapon type, scatterguns, arrowthrowers, fastshooters, smallguns, and even some farguns.

She paused as she watched the grinning monster waddle into the room. "And now, the pièce de résistance!" Grabbng a random scattergun, the monster pulled. With a slight groan, the weapon's rack it was mounted on spun around. Theta's blood ran cold when she saw what was mounted on the other side.

Mounted on a mannequin lay the armor of a Big Sister.

It appeared to have been damaged badly at some point, the chest and most of right arm appeared to have been replaced. The helmet was not the standard issue for a Big Sister, presumably the original helmet had been too damaged to salvage. The metal cage that normally would have held one of her younger siblings was gone; apparently the monsters hadn't seen fit to replace it. "Scavenged it off a Big Sister that was savaged by something. I _was_ going to keep it as a private memento, a trophy if you will, but…I figured you could put it to better use."

Reverently, Theta approached the armor that had born witness to her sister's final moments. She gently grabbed the original glove, turning it over to reveal the designation that had belonged to her sibling. Epsilon…Epsilon was dead. Theta had liked Epsilon, she had been a bit on the air headed side but she had been kind. Theta sent the monster a pointed glare, with a jerk of her head she motioned for it to leave. When the monster failed to react to her demand, David cleared his throat. "Lard ass, get the hell out."

"Hardly a fitting way to treat your host." Theta's snarl ended the monster's brief anger.

"I can take a hint." The monster slammed the door on the way out; apparently he was a bit peeved.

"You putting the armor on?" Theta glanced over her shoulder and gave him a nod and a smile.

David's face colored slightly and he shifted uncomfortably. "I-I can leave, if you want." Theta shook her head softly signing to him that he didn't need to leave. "I'll just turn around…yeah?"

Shaking her head with a smile Theta shrugged indifferently, she still didn't understand why humans found skin scary.

"So uhm…how bout those Yankees?"

Theta hummed in confusion, glancing over her shoulder towards David. What was a Yankee? Her pants joined her shirt on the floor as she turned her full attention to the armor.

"I wonder how Jack's going to handle his speech. He doesn't seem like much of a talker."

Theta nodded in agreement, not that he would see, and grumbled to herself as she began to dutifully latch every clasp of the armor.

"Do uh…do you think we should keep an eye on Tony? He _really_ doesn't like you."

Grunting dismissively at the prospect of that idiotic human actually being a threat, she grabbed the heavy metal boots.

"Yeah, I doubt he'd attack you without provocation. So uh…try not to piss him off."

Theta huffed softly at that, she didn't _actively _antagonize him…much. If he started something though, she'd finish it.

"That wasn't a reassuring noise." Laughing softly, Theta grabbed David by the shoulder. When he turned around, she smiled slightly and gestured to her armor.

"Well it's…bulkier I'll give it that." Theta huffed and crossed her arms. "No, I meant that it looks more armored then your old one." Smiling to show that she had been teasing, Theta nodded. The monster's repairs hadn't been flawless, in the end they seemed to have just welded additional metal armoring onto the outfit.

Pulling the gloves on, Theta surveyed the various weapons that had been left next to the armor. There was a harvester, several blades of various shapes and sizes, a bulky contraption that appeared to be a harpoonthrower, and, much to Theta's delight, a punchgun.

Humming to herself, she strapped on the harvester, wincing slightly as she stabbed the intravenous feed into her arm. Almost giddy she pulled on the punchgun's glove, shoving several extra shells into some of the various pouches adorning the armor. After a moment's contemplation, she picked up the harpoonthrower as well. She smiled broadly at David, giving an excited squeal and small hop.

"So…this is like Christmas for you huh?"

Theta frowned slightly, that word was familiar…memories flitted around the back of her mind. Just out of reach…like an itch you just couldn't scratch. Seemingly noticing her bemused expression, David handed her the helmet. "That badass armor just wouldn't be complete without this, now would it?"

Cupping the sides of David's face, she pulled him in for a quick kiss. He stiffened against her momentarily before relaxing into the kiss. She felt him smile against her lips before pulling away. "Well its…umm…its nice to see where we stand."

Taking a step back, David held her helmet out again. "Come on, don't want to start any untoward rumors, now do we?"

Smiling, she gave her human friend a parting wink before sealing the helmet with a hiss.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the wait, I had a minor case of writers block and a major case of Skyrimitis. It's not my fault! The new add on is awesome! <em>

_Anyways, here's the next chapter of David and Theta's story. _

_As always please read and review._


	39. Captured

Alpha dropped the body of her target's friend; she had been too old to become one of her siblings and as such hadn't been of consequence. The target's terrified screams made her ears ring uncomfortably, further aggravating the unstable experiment. Snarling, she cuffed the child across her face. The girl's green eyes stared at her in shock for several seconds. When her lip started to tremble, Alpha raised her hand again. The girls received the message and ceased her irritating whimpering.

Grabbing the girl by her bicep, Alpha steered the trembling child away. Carelessly pushing the already damaged door entirely off its hinges, she dragged her target towards the ocean and the waiting bathysphere. Flashing lights and obnoxious sirens brought her attention to something more immediate then the fairly distant ocean.

"Release the girl and raise your hands over your head!" around a dozen armed humans were surrounding the house, several of their motorized carts parked around them, obnoxious lights flashing.

Alpha flinched snarling, at the uncomfortably loud noise. The _stupid _humans were using some sort of machine to increase the volume of their voices.

"Release the girl now! I will not ask again!" Loosing a dismissive snort, she tossed the girl into the ashwater at her feet.

"Raise your hands over your head!" Tilting her head curiously to the side, Alpha obliged the pushy human.

"Get on your knees!" Alpha rolled her eyes, alright, this was fun but she had things to do and places to be. Faster then the humans could react, she thrust her hands forward sending several of their vehicles flying through the air.

The humans opened fire, unfortunately for them, Alpha was already cart wheeling out of the way. Before they could adjust their fire accordingly she disappeared in a purple puff of smoke. She reappeared in their midst, already moving.

Her elbow struck a man at the base of the skull, he crumbled without a noise. Spinning she lashed a booted foot out, it swung in a graceful arc, snapping the neck of one man before caving in the skull of another. A man leveled his rifle at her, with a flick of her wrist she sent him flying through the window of one of the buildings lining the street. She couldn't resist smiling slightly at her good aim. It appeared she'd scored a goal…

Hearing the sound of a gun readying to fire, Alpha leapt upwards. Back flipping over the shocked human, Alpha landed behind him. She promptly spun his head one hundred and eighty degrees, his face was a mask of shock as he fell to the ground twitching.

A sudden click behind her made her cringe slightly, waiting for a pain that never came. Spinning around she saw a human standing there, staring in horrified confusion at his smallgun that had failed to fire. Seemingly seeing no alternatives, the clearly idiotic human swung the gun at her with a terrified yell. Suppressing a chuckle, Alpha effortlessly caught the man's arm mid swing. Twisting savagely she broke the man's arm and pointed the gun into his stomach.

Taking a moment to look at the gun, Alpha quickly discovered what was wrong. The moronic human had the noshootbutton on. Flicking it off Alpha pulled the trigger several times, shredding the unfortunate human's intestines. The man collapsed to the ground, leaving Alpha holding the gun.

Studying the unfamiliar device with detached curiosity, Alpha aimed it at the screaming man as he lay on the ground.

She pulled the trigger.

The man screamed louder as a hole was blown in his shoulder.

She pulled the trigger.

Several of the man's fingers were blown off of his left hand.

She pulled the trigger.

The man's knee was pulped.

She pulled the trigger.

Most of the man's right foot was blown off.

She pulled the trigger.

The man's eye socket turned into a bloody crater and the back of his head exploded outwards.

Laughing, Alpha tossed the weapon onto the man's corpse. Guns were fun!

Something hard poked her in between the shoulder blades.

The man standing directly behind her pulled the trigger.

Blackness.

()

"That's not intimidating at all." Theta sent Sandy a confused look, helmeted head tilting to the side. After a moment's deliberation, she decided that the female human was being sarcastic. After all, she knew she looked intimidating in her armor. It took her a moment before it clicked, but she couldn't help but feel proud of herself for recognizing the sarcasm. Her time around David was paying off.

"Well…that should help us intimidate any stubborn Splicers." Ignoring the large monster's grumbling in the background, Theta nodded to Jack.

"Yes, yes. Don't thank the man who gave you this wonderful gift."

Theta sent the rotund monster an unseen glare as David almost perfectly voiced her thoughts. "The generous gift you looted off of one of her sibling's corpses? How noble of you Teddy."

The ball of flab snorted, waving his hand dismissively. "That's gratefulness for you." He turned to Jack, pointedly ignoring Theta and David. "Well it's time Jackyboy! You ready for my inauguration speech?"

"I don't have much choice do I?"

Jack's somewhat bleak response provoked a hearty chuckle from the short freak. Slapping Jack on the back like he'd been joking, the monster steered him through the nearby doorway…

()

…and into sight of the cheering masses of Splicers.

Upwards of a hundred of the mutated remnants of Rapture's population stared fixedly at the balcony, going silent as the duo walked into view.

"Show them your wrists."

"What?"

"Show them your tattoos."

Somewhat hesitant, Jack pulled back the sleeves of his shirt, revealing the twin chains tattooed on his wrists. After a moment's hesitation, he raised them into the air. If anything the Splicers beneath them grew even quieter.

After several seconds of awkward silence, Theodore lost his patience. "Say something you daft-"

"Doc Lamb said you was dead!"

Shifting from side to side, Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Well…I'm not." His mumbled response was barely audible.

Angry mutterings were spreading throughout the Splicer ranks. Seeing his potential followers growing unease, Theodore stepped forward, pudgy hands raised into the air.

Before he could speak an enraged Splicer yelled. "The bitch lied to us!"

A cacophony of yells sounded in agreement.

"Let's kill 'er!"

Theodore sighed, massaging his temples. "This is going to be harder then I thought."

()

The freak huffed impatiently and shifted its armored form. Tony narrowed his eyes as its featureless visor stared unblinkingly back. He couldn't believe he'd actually begun to see it as something more then a monster. If there was one good thing about it finding that armor, it was that it helped remind him that it was something like it that had taken his Cynthia from him.

His nose throbbed slightly, reminding him of another reason he hated the damn thing. Jack and the fat man had been talking with the Splicers for the better part of an hour. Staying away from Amanda this long was starting to ware on his nerves. With a sigh, he gave in to his impatience. "Tenenbaum, can I head back to base and get Harper and the girls? If we're going to stay here for a while I'd prefer Amanda be close."

The aging German woman paused, studying him with an appraising gaze. After a moment she nodded. "I agree, take David and Samantha with you. It could be a nice bonding experience."

"Ma'am…are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yeah…Sam and Tony aren't exactly a particularly good team…"

Gesturing to David, Tony nodded. "Yeah, what he said."

Tenenbaum smirked slightly, her eyes showing obvious amusement. "That is why I think you should go. Think of it as a team building exercise."

David rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "Fine, you have any objections Sam?" The armored abomination paused, head tilted to the side. After a moment it shook its head and gestured to Tony.

"She says she doesn't have a problem if you don't."

"Yeah, I got that." A low growl reverberated around the room as the freak objected to his tone. He sighed. "Fine, let's just go." A strange noise distracted Tony for a moment. A rasping, abrasive huh noise. It was only when he noticed the freak's shoulders shaking, that he realized it was laughing. Resisting the urge to pull out his gun, Tony turned and began to walk. Today was going to be a long day.

()

The fact that the hidden door was ajar was the first sign that something was out of the ordinary. Snarling in alarm, Theta lunged forward slamming the door open and barging into the previously safe area. Furniture was scattered about the living area carelessly. The door into the witch's lab was utterly destroyed her equipment lay broken and every trace of Adam that had been in the lab was gone.

"No!" The large monster shoved past her and sprinted towards the sleeping area.

Weapon at the ready, David slowly advanced into the room "Are we alone?" Motioning for him to follow, Theta shook her head.

"Where is she!" It appeared the large monster had found the sniveling one.

They turned the corner and saw the enraged large monster holding the sniveling one off the ground by his throat. He appeared to be trying to respond but was unable to find his voice with the large monster's huge paw around his neck.

"Tony, put him down!"

The large monster turned to David with a look Theta had seen far too many times in his eyes, fear, desperation, impotent rage, and above all hopelessness. Apparently seeing what she had, David attempted to calm the man before he reached his breaking point. "Tony, we can't learn what happened if you choke him to death. Please, just put him down."

Releasing a trembling breath, the bear of a man dropped the sniveling one. Despite herself, Theta felt pity for the brutish human; he lost the one thing that mattered to him. Gasping for breath, the small human sat up. "I-it was a Big Daddy, a kind I'd n-never seen before. There w-was something wrong w-with its arm."

"And you didn't fight it?" The large monster's voice, that had been a furious baritone mere seconds ago, was a crushed whisper.

The smaller monster looked downward guiltily. "I-I didn't have the chance. I saw it and it just attacked. I m-managed to shoot it once but…" Distantly, Theta was aware of David wandering off to search the rest of their old safe house.

"Tony…I-I'm so sorry…" Theta's gut lurched uncomfortably as she realized something else. Sandy didn't know her sister was gone…

"Please…do you know anything about what happened here?"

Theta tuned out the monster's babble as she internalized the situation. Carol was gone, Sandy's sister was gone. She could still smell the rouge Daddy that had done this. Sandra was gone, the poor girl would be the least likely to be rescued as she had no relatives in their group. If need be she could track the Bad Daddy but she would much rather know where she was going. Amanda was gone…much to her frustration that thought hurt far more then she'd have liked. She hadn't been responsible for her lack of freewill. It had been…unfair of her to take her frustration out on the young girl. A whimper slipped past her lips. What if she was never able to show Amanda she was sorry?

"Guys…you should probably see this." Theta glanced over her shoulder towards the David's voice. Motioning for the two humans to follow her, she walked into the kitchen area. David was waiting for them, looking decidedly uneasy. "This is bad isn't it?" He said, gesturing over his shoulder. Carved haphazardly into the wall was a massage.

Come to the fire little moth.

()

The lights of the bathysphere pierced the dark ocean water, scattering the occasional school of fish. "If you are lying, I'll make you hurt."

"Yes Jackass! You've made that abundantly clear!"

"You're rather obstinate for someone who looks like they were trampled by an angry mob buddy."

The bruised and beaten Splicer sent Leo a glare. "Don't fucking call me that."

"Stop bitching and hurry up!" Banes complied, grumbling as he sped the bathysphere up. "You may have bargained temporarily for your right to live but if this doesn't pan out…well I'll let your imagination finish that threat."

"I've never used this entrance before; I might need to circle the area once or twice."

Leo pulled the hammer of his magnum back with an ominous click. "Make it once."

"Yeah, yeah you're scary I get it." Banes responded absently, his beady black eyes sweeping around the ocean floor. "There." Smirking triumphantly, Banes pointed to a barely noticeable cave in the side of a rock face.

"If this is a trap…"

"You'll skin me, rip out my entrails and hang me with them."

"Huh…not the threat I'd have used, but it'll work." The bathysphere coasted up the docking tube, after several seconds it surfaced in the antechamber.

"Welcome to the inner sanctum of the 'heretic bishop'. His contingency plan should be around here somewhere." Limping slightly, Banes led the mammoth Splicer further into the last remnant of Haven. "Your rouge Big Sister and her entourage sheltered here after the destruction of my home."

Leo meandered over to a window and glanced outside. Seeing the flooded remnants of Haven, he whistled appreciatively. "Damn…Lamb never lets us wreck shit up like that. Looks like Theta had some fun here, lucky bitch…"

Banes snarled and lunged towards Leo, he stopped cold when he found a magnum pressed into his forehead. "Ah ah ah, that's not a good idea buddy."

"Don't talk about my _home_ like that! I had friends here; some of them were like _family_!"

Leo laughed uproariously at that. "I'll talk about your home however I like. If I want to I can tell you all about how much of a brainless whore your mother was too." Banes snarled again. "You see, I have a gun and you don't. That's how these things work."

For several seconds Banes glared into Leo's amused eyes, with an internal sigh he relented. "Fine, follow me."

"Good doggie!"

They entered the Bishop's bed chamber; the mannequin on which he'd perched the Big Sister's armor was empty. Banes grinned as he saw the object he had been looking for, the receiver rested innocently on the Bishop's desk. He nodded towards Leo, pointing at the inconspicuous object.

"This will do what you said it will?"

"Yes the Bishop had it implanted while she was out cold. With that sub-dermal implant in her you can track the Big Sister anywhere in Rapture."

()

Pain…pain was everywhere. An aura of pain permeated everything about the white room. The people in their lab coats radiated it as well, uncaring of the pain they caused. In the distance some unfortunate being screamed in agony.

"The subject doesn't seem to respond to external stimuli." Something sharp cut into her arm. "It doesn't respond to pain either. The regenerative ability seems to have slowed with the removal of the strange substance from its blood. Addendum: while slowed it is still far faster then the human norm."

A painfully bright light blinded her in one eye. "The subject reacts to changes in light, though the pupil is impossible to discern in its unique eye structure, it can clearly be seen flinching from the light." The experience was repeated with her other eye.

An uncomfortably loud snapping noise sounded in one ear then the other, she hissed softly in response. "Subject appears to have an enhanced sense of hearing. Will now proceed to test the extent." A high pitched whining noise caused her to flinch. The noises increased in frequency every few seconds until she was whimpering and trying to flee. After what felt like an eternity the noise passed from her hearing range. "Subject's hearing range extends well past the human norm. It is quite possible that it can use a lesser form of echolocation."

"Subject's sense of smell is similarly enhanced, though I do not have the necessary equipment to test that now." She hissed in displeasure.

"Possibly the most extraordinary trait is that the subject appears to have some sort of extrasensory perception. When it awoke for the first time it immediately turned towards the laboratory that is testing the substance extracted from its blood. When the substance was moved to a more secure location it almost seemed to watch. Originally we believed it was merely an enhanced sense of smell. We sealed all of the substance in an airtight vault…it followed. Whatever this unique sense is, it appears to be tied to the substance."

"Now we must gauge its intelligence." The snapping noise sounded in front of her, bringing her attention to the pasty human standing before her. "Good. Can you understand me?" She narrowed her eyes and growled slightly. "If I had three stones and you gave me four stones how many stones would I have?" Snarling, she lunged as far forward as she could and snapped her teeth in his face.

"Do that again, and I'll be forced to punish you." She lunged forward again and screamed in the human's face. The man pressed a button and agony tore through her as electricity coursed through her.

The pain stopped and she was left hanging limply in her restraints. "The sky is blue, red, green, or brown?" Her glowing gaze landed on the man again, pulling her teeth back she growled in the back of her throat. The man's hand was instantly over the button. She stopped immediately.

For the first time an emotion flickered across the man's face as he smiled slightly. "Good. You're a fast learner I see." The man leaned forward. "Behave and I can take good care of you. Misbehave and I will make your life hell."

The fool had put himself in range…good. Smiling, she lunged forward and sunk her teeth into the man's nose. The man screamed in agony. Instantly the door burst open and three tranquilizer darts dug into her exposed neck. As the world began to swim she smiled a blood encrusted smile. The man was on the ground, holding his nearly severed nose in place as other doctors surrounded him. Before the world faded to black, Alpha made it a point to send the man a parting wink.

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the wait. I had a major case of writers block and had to rewrite pretty much this entire chapter. <em>

_Anyways as always please read and review. They do wonders for my motivation._


	40. Curiosity Killed the Rat

Sand billowed up around her as she landed on the ocean's floor. Moving cautiously, Theta advanced on Fort Frolic. Obnoxious spot lights swept back and forth, lighting up the water around that section of Rapture. Unlike most areas of the fallen city, Fort Frolic's lights had been maintained. Apparently the egotistical monster that ruled here didn't want the various advertisements for its 'art' to be forgotten.

"_Keep moving girlie, we don't got all day_!" Hissing in irritation, Theta slapped the side of her helmet. Much to her displeasure they had found that her new helmet had a camera mounted on it and an internal radio. The stinking ball of flab they found themselves forced to work with was now watching her every move. "_Heh…if I knew I could get you to hit yourself that easily I'd have done it sooner._"

Ignoring the irritating ball of refuse, Theta crouched behind her rock. When the nearest spotlight passed her she acted. Moving with practiced ease, she leapt to the top of the boulder. Bracing herself against her perch, she pushed off of the boulder, gliding gracefully towards the garishly decorated walls of Cohen's den of pleasure.

"_Hurry the hell up girlie! That lights coming back!_" Much to her irritation, the fat one was correct. While she'd have preferred to have been able to get to the window so she could survey the surroundings of her destination, she couldn't risk getting caught yet. With an inaudible pop she appeared inside the walls of the fort.

"The shit?" Raising an eyebrow, Theta glanced at the monster she had not seen until it was too late. The monster had painted itself bronze and had been holding completely still. She had truthfully thought it had been a statue of some sort. Though now that she thought of it, she doubted anyone would create a statue of one of those freaks.

Before the monster could do more then look surprised, Theta's hand lashed out. Grabbing the beast's throat in her hand, she dragged the monster into a side room. With the monster out of easy sight, she tore its throat out. The monster collapsed with a wet gurgle.

"_Keep moving girlie, we're on a time limit here!_" Theta rolled her eyes but followed the fat one's directions. Moving slowly, she peeked out in to the hallway. Seeing no cameras, she began to run as quietly as she could down the hallway. "_Take the next right._" Theta sidled up to the indicated passage and peeked out into the hallway. A camera was mounted about halfway down the hallway. Slowly moving back and forth, it surveyed its domain.

"_It's panning each way every seven seconds_." Theta nodded, that was the first helpful thing the flabby beast had said. "_Three._" Theta crouched, getting ready to spring. "_Two._" Closing her eyes, she braced herself for what would happen if she was wrong. "_One_." Theta launched herself forward.

She could see the camera out of the corner of her eye as it slowly turned away from her. After a few seconds of running she was directly beneath the camera and invisible to it. She waited impatiently as the camera panned around the area; she needed to time this perfectly if it was going to work. She was unable to teleport as the cloud of smoke and audible pop would most likely alert security.

The sound of movement at the end of the hallway caused Theta to freeze in place. "And I'm tellin you! 'e's not right in the 'ead! All this wonky shit 'e 'as us gettin up to, is not right…am I right?"

A lanky monster with bulky glasses was flailing its arms about, apparently talking to itself. Without warning its voice rose to a higher, almost feminine, pitch and it responded to its own question. "That man is a genius! Working with him is our only chance at fame! Imagine it! Our names in lights!"

Theta's head tilted to the side in confusion. What the hell? This monster appeared to be more deranged then most. "_Well, he's a colorful one…_" Theta rolled her eyes at the rotund one's comment. Still rambling to itself, the monster ambled out of her line of sight. As it rounded the corner, Theta loosed a relieved sigh. She glanced up at the camera, noting it was panning away from where she needed to go.

In a burst of speed impossible for anything else in the ruined city, Theta cleared the last hundred feet of the hallway roughly a second. "_Damn girlie, you've got some legs on you!_" Theta found herself in the central atrium of Fort Frolic. She could sense a _huge_ concentration of Adam in a cavernous room off the second level of the atrium. In a smaller room to the side she could clearly smell her young siblings.

Much to her frustration she couldn't risk moving to their aid yet, if she was stopped or incapacitated there would be no way for the others to enter this madman's abode. Moving away from the Adam and her siblings, she headed towards the bathysphere station. There was a surprising lack of cameras in this section of the city, maybe the monster in charge felt it didn't need it. Or maybe the monster…a grating noise signaled a large door opening behind her…really didn't need it.

Casting a furtive glance over her shoulder, Theta was greeted with the unwelcome sight of four crazed Daddies chained to the back of their room.

With a metallic clack, the chains were released.

"_Shit…_"

()

"First trials on willing subjects showed no change for several days. This time frame was deemed unacceptable. The subjects were disposed of and we proceeded to work on a way of accelerating whatever changes this substance does. We found success with a mixture of the substance, steroids, and a heavy duty stimulant." The man breathed deeply, the sound wheezing strangely through his mangled nose.

"The subjects proceeded to progress through a series of random mutations. The subjects' mental instability was originally believed to be a symptom of the stimulant that was applied; unfortunately the subjects never regained their wits. O'Brian recommended terminating the subjects, I overrode his decision. They could be useful for further testing." The man sighed; a dull thud announced his frustration as his head hit his desk.

"The specimen is considerably more frustrating. Its hostility is responosible for three dead and six people maimed…including the incident with my nose. Tests of its intelligence have proven difficult, as it rarely cooperates. The last time it did…Jenson never saw it coming. Despite its refusal to communicate I am convinced of its intelligence. The look in its eyes as it watches us…" The man took a shaky breath. "…like a cat indulging the mouse. Whenever I enter the room, it focuses solely on me. I believe it realizes I am in charge."

"Unlike the others who are exposed to the substance in its blood, the specimen shows no visible signs of mutation, aside from its eyes that is. An autopsy revealed several more subtle mutations however. Its muscle tissue is roughly five times denser then that of a normal human, it could easily rip a man apart. Cell division is massively sped up; this results in an incredibly fast regeneration rate. If this mutation results in an expedited aging process remains to be seen. This mutation also appears to be tied to the amount of the substance in its blood, regeneration speeds have slowed to roughly one sixteenth what was previously recorded. While considerably slowed this is still much faster then the human norm. Interestingly, the specimen seems to have an additional organ or gland attached to its stomach. I believe that this organ has something to do with the substance in its blood, though I can not be sure."

"My biggest concern currently is keeping the subject alive; it has refused food and drink repeatedly. At best, the last time it nourished itself was going on seventy two hours ago. Attempts to force it to eat have been unsuccessful. Due to its regeneration intravenous feeds are out of the question. When we tried to feed it orally it allowed itself to be fed only long enough for a guard to get within range. The entirety of the man's pointer and middle fingers were bitten off along with the majority of his ring finger. We would have retrieved the man's digits but…" The man let loose a shaky sigh. "The specimen had already swallowed them by the time we stopped the bleeding."

"I can remember the look in its eyes as lunged at me… Sir, I know you won't listen but, it's my professional opinion that we terminate the specimen. We can learn almost as much from its corpse."

The sound of the door to her cell opening stopped Alpha's eavesdropping. She smiled absently causing the small man to shift uncomfortably under her gaze as the dried blood around her mouth cracked and flaked. "I-I need a blood sample." Despite the terrible pain in her chest, she had yet to recover from their autopsy, she laughed at the weak human. Focusing her gaze on the man's nametag, she glared at the small object.

She felt a slight pinch in her arm but she ignored it. Still focusing on her task she glared at the rectangular object, cataloguing the small picture of the man. Mathew Stone, so that was the man's name. "I-I know this is uncomfortable. It'll only be a few more seconds." She ignored the insignificant worm, glaring intently at the object perched on his chest.

"Alright I'm done, th-thank you for behaving." As the man turned to leave it happened, his nametag pulled itself from his shirt and fell to the floor. Smile spreading into a vicious grin, Alpha watched passively as the man picked it back up and fastened it to his chest.

Her abilities were coming back. Soon, very soon, these humans would have no idea what hit them.

()

"She should be here by now."

"Kid, shut the hell up! If there's anyone in this damn city that's safe, it's that…thing."

Before this exchange could degrade into a fight, Jack put himself between the two. "David, she's only three minutes late. Tony, calm down. You aren't doing any good like this." David was the first to react, with an anxious sigh he turned back to the lowered gate. Sending the smaller man a heated glare, Tony turned to the entrance as well.

"I don't like this guys. If anything, I'd have thought she'd be early." With a nod, David gestured to Sandy.

Before the fight could be rekindled, their radios crackled to life. "_Guys…you might want to get ready. Girlie's got some friends._"

"Shit!" Growling under his breath, Tony readied his mammoth assault rifle. The others followed suit, David readying his shotgun, Harper his crossbow, and Sandy her pistol.

With an unnatural calm, Jack hefted his wrench in one hand. "Get ready everyone." He slowly raised the other, the skin blackened and blistered as flames surged to life. "Whatever is coming, we can take it."

From the other side of the barrier the sounds of combat grew louder and louder. Inhuman roars and grunts approached rapidly. A painfully high pitched scream of pain caused everyone to flinch. "Damn it Sam…"

The large door shook violently as something large impacted it. There was a crash as something made of glass shattered. Almost immediately after, an enraged roar sounded.

"Come on, Come on."

A wet squelch followed by something impacting the wall. With a low groan, the door began to open. Before it could get even halfway open Theta rolled underneath. She was a mess, her armor bloodied, her right arm was drenched in blood, and something that looked suspiciously like gunshot wounds riddled her back.

With an enraged howl, an Alpha Series tore through the door and charged after Theta. She leapt to her feet, jumping out of the crazed beast's reach. Screaming insanely, the monster ran past the others and slammed into the wall. As Theta's human allies turned to face the monster that had ran past, she braced herself for its friends.

Roaring inanely, the two remaining beasts charged into the fray. The smaller of the two, still standing an impressive seven and a half feet in height, swung an anchor like an overgrown mace. Theta was barely able to dodge the deadly blow.

Before she could regain her bearings, the larger of the two slammed into her. The beast was mammoth, even by Big Daddy standards, standing nearly nine feet in height. Its visor had been smashed, revealing the nightmarish face of the enraged beast. Lidless white eyes stared forward with a mindless hate, the beast's nose looked like a partially melted candle one nostril entirely revealed. Its mouth was malformed and mutated, jagged razor sharp teeth lining its unholy maw. Snarling right back at the fallen knight, Theta's head shot forward. What remained of the beast's nose was shattered on impact sending the beast reeling backwards.

On the other side of the entrance area, Tony was yelling in rage almost as much as the monster he was fighting. Unloading countless rounds into the beast's armored bulk. Revving its drill, the beast dove towards the large man. With a speed surprising of a man of his size, Tony leapt out of the way. As the beast spun to follow its prey, a beam of concentrated cold hit its visor blinding it. The monster flailed aimlessly until it wound up facing David. Its crazed screaming was silenced once and for all as David's shotgun tore through its weakened visor and punctured its brain.

Howling like a rabid wolf, the smaller of the two monsters tugged fruitlessly at the anchor that hovered several feet above the ground. Theta leapt gracefully over the larger monsters head, barely resisting the urge to laugh as it barreled into its smaller brother. As she lunged after the furious due, she released her telekinetic hold on the anchor. The mammoth weapon fell atop the smaller of the two, crushing its skull to a pulp.

In an impossible burst of speed, the larger monster leapt to its feet and slammed into Theta. She was unable to suppress a pained whimper as she felt several of her ribs pop on impact with the wall. Trying to separate herself from the furious entity, she swung her barely operational right arm at the beast's head. It was caught effortlessly. She had less then a second to brace herself for agony.

With a dismissive grunt, the beast twisted her arm cruelly. As her shoulder popped from its socket and her wrist shattered she loosed an agonized scream. Before the beast could do further damage a hail of bullets slammed into its armored bulk. Snarling in the back of its throat, the beast whirled around and charged towards the first target it saw…Sandy.

Screaming in terror, Sandy turned and began running in the opposite direction. Still firing, Tony put himself in between the monster and the fleeing girl. The bear of a man was hurled effortlessly through the air by something that made even him look small. Using some sort of plasmid, the beast began to move even faster. It gained ground on the fleeing human effortlessly.

The beast's gauntleted hand snatched the young woman's hair. As she loosed a scream of terror and pain it lifted her into the air. The beast lifted the struggling human so she was level with its face. For a moment it paused, studying the girl with what appeared to be detached curiosity. Without warning its warped maw opened and it roared in the terrified human's face as she screamed in abject terror.

The beast grabbed Sandy by the jaw, its mammoth hand covering her mouth and nose. As the human struggled futilely, the monster's arm tensed as it prepared to crush the weak human it held in its grasp. Before it could, the scream of a banshee reverberated around the hall. Like an avenging angel, Theta flew at the armored monstrosity. Her left arm slammed into the beast's unarmored head. There was a barely audible click. With an explosive bang, Theta's 'punchgun' went off and the beast's head exploded in a rain of blood, bone, and brain.

The dead monster's nerveless fingers dropped Sandy as its headless corpse collapsed. For several seconds the only sound was the soft sobbing of the blood drenched human crumpled in a boneless heap next to the deceased beast. Crooning softly, Theta crouched next to Sandy trying her best to comfort her human friend. "I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry. I just, I couldn't."

"That thing bashed through me like tissue paper. You've got nothing to be ashamed of Sandy." Allowing Theta to help her to her feet, Sandy sent a grateful smile to Tony.

"Everyone okay?" A chorus of affirmative answers followed Thompson's question.

"Where are you hurt Sam?" Theta winced and motioned to her right arm. Her arm was obviously dislocated, her wrist swollen to twice its normal diameter, and the suit was in tatters. "Do you want me too…" Cutting off, David gestured weakly at her shoulder. Gritting her teeth, Theta nodded. She was unable to suppress a pained whimper as her shoulder popped back into place audibly.

"We need to get moving!" Tony was uncaring of the experiment's pain, only interested in finding his child once again.

"Tony, we can wait long enough for her to recover."

With a slight groan of discomfort, Thompson crouched painfully next to Theta. "Do you want me to help Samantha?"

With her left hand, Theta pried her helmet off and dropped it onto the ground. Her glowing gaze hesitantly found Thompson's, after a moment's thought she nodded. Sending her a slight smile, Thompson injected her with a dose of modified Adam. The healing agent acted quickly, it combined with her innate healing ability left her feeling almost as good as new quickly.

"Damn Sam, you killed two of them alone." Smiling, she shook her head and held up three fingers. "Hey! I'll have you know that I killed that one!" Theta laughed softly and shook her head again. "Wait, there were four!" Theta leaned forward resting her head against David's chest, releasing a tired sigh she nodded.

"Theodore! God damn it! Answer the _fucking_ radio!" Static was Tony's only reply. "You fat son of a bitch! If you are leaving us out to dry, I'll fucking kill you!"

Without warning haunting music began to play of the speakers mounted on the walls. Her knuckles going white around her pistol, Sandy glanced around nervously. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

His eyes closed, Jack sighed tiredly. "So much for sneaking in here…"

As if waiting for Jack to speak, a warped voice laughed over the speakers. _"Very good little moth, very good."_

"Why the hell are wasting our time with words you fucking freak!"

The voice deepened, taking on an inhuman quality. _"Mr. Gibbs, I was talking to the bastard son of Rapture's first dictators. Not the broken shell of a soldier, unable to cope with loss."_

Tony recoiled as if struck, mouth opening and closing as he tried to recover sufficiently to respond. Before he could, Jack stepped in. "Alright Cohen, we're talking. What the hell do you want?"

The voice returned to its previous pitch, back to the charismatic madman. _"It was so rude of you to ignore my first invitation. I simply _had_ to ask once again. Given how _horridly_ sentimental you were the last time we crossed paths, I chose to take your children as my guests, some…incentive if you will."_

"What do you want?" The voice on the radio paused, as if trying to figure that out for itself.

The lights in the previously dimly lit area came to life and all of the gates opened. _"Why, for you to come in, of course. I have much I want to show you little moth."_

"Well…that was ominous." Theta sent David a bemused glance. Once again, his talent for stating the obvious was amazing.

()

Banes grinned, revealing his sharpened teeth, as he saw Leo stalking out of the Persephone Medical Facility. The massive man looked irritated, coming to a stop at the tube leading to the rest of Persephone he pulled out a cigarette. He lit it with a sigh and stared out into the abyss beneath Persephone, and the strange source of light coming from the depths.

He didn't react as Banes approached, casually taking a puff of his cigarette. "You ever wonder what it is?" The man's normally booming voice was soft, thoughtful even. Banes was reminded, once again, not to underestimate the behemoth of a man. Despite his brutish appearance he was intelligent, cunning, and above all else cruel.

"What what is?"

Crossing his arms, Leo nodded towards the strange light. "Some of the inmates say it's an alien ship." He laughed once, a puff of smoke drifting from his mouth. "Fucking idiots will believe anything." Banes refrained from saying that upon seeing the strange light, his first thought had been aliens as well. "They say it's the cause of all of this."

For several seconds the disparate due stood in a, for one side at least, uncomfortable silence. Seeing Leo wasn't going to say anything, Banes responded. "You mean the Adam?"

Leo laughed ruefully once again, still not taking his eyes off of the abyss. "What else would I be talking about?" Not giving Banes the chance to respond, he continued. "That part of their conspiracy theory I find myself agreeing with." He gestured towards the light with the hand holding the cigarette, leaving a thin trail of smoke. "Whatever the fuck that thing is, it's got to have something to do with all this."

For the second time in as many minutes, Banes found himself in an uncomfortable silence. With an internal groan he ended it. "What do you think it is?"

Leo took his time answering, seemingly pondering the question as he took several drags from the cigarette. "I've got no idea. For all we know it could be an alien ship, some weird ass chemicals…" A pessimistic laugh. "…or God's rotting corpse…"

They descended once again into a long silence leaving Banes increasingly uncomfortable. Trying to end the quiet as soon as possible, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Why were you at the doctor's?" Instantly the quiet and rueful Leo was gone. Eyes narrowing into a glare, he tossed his cigarette aside.

"I erm…I just mean that you obviously aren't sick."

"Baney boy…don't think, you're not good at it." Having said his piece, Leo turned and stalked away from the confused Splicer. At the bulkhead door leading to Persephone he paused. Taking out a second cigarette he lit it. "Banes." He took a drag. "If you ever ask me about this place again I'll torture you within an inch of your life. I will then allow you to recover. Just when you are on the verge of recovery, I will kill everyone you've ever cared about." He took another drag. "Then, when you are begging for death, I'll feed you to an Alpha series." His voice was nonchalant, as if he was discussing the weather. He glanced over his shoulder, his dark eyes meeting Banes' surprised gaze. "Just so we're clear."

Shocked beyond words, Banes could only nod silently, wondering what sort of hornets nest he'd unintentionally kicked.

* * *

><p><em>From now on, Radios are in italics. Sorry if that was confusing. I was planning on having the next Cohen and Alpha scene in this chapter but it was getting too large.<em>

_Anyways, please read and review. The next chapter should be up faster then most, I've been looking forward to writing the next few sections since I first started this._


	41. What Madness can Make

Alpha shifted uncomfortably with a snarl, the least they could do was set the table she was on horizontal for the night. They'd done it when they'd operated on her and she wanted to sleep damn it! With her arms spread and bound, most of her body weight wound up on her shoulders. If she ever fell asleep she quickly became dead weight and her shoulders objected to that situation…painfully. Huffing under her breath she shifted again, trying, fruitlessly, to find a comfortable position.

At her wits end, Alpha began to thrash against her restraints. Snarling and straining as much as she could. A sudden click from the table's base was the only warning she had. Her struggling having popped the locking mechanism, the table flipped. She was unable to suppress a pained groan as her head smacked into the concrete floor. Blearily taking in her surroundings, she was irritated to find she was still bound as tightly as before. The only difference was that she was hanging upside down and facing away from the door. Her blood rushed to her head causing the bruise she had just received to throb painfully.

Unable to do anything else with her fuming temper, she screamed in rage. The sound physically hurt her ears, reverberating around the small room in which she was confined. A sudden noise stopped her mid scream; someone was opening the door to her cell. Growling in frustration, she tried, and failed, to get a line of sight to the door. The man who had entered sidled up to the table. She heard him fumble with some latch on the base. There was a metallic click. The man grabbed the table by her feet and pushed her back into an upright position with a soft groan.

He turned and walked back out into lab proper, leaving the door to her cell open. She could hear him doing something out of her line of sight, glass or ceramic objects clinking together. As he walked back into her cell, two things occurred to Alpha simultaneously. This was Mathew Stone, the man who had taken her blood earlier, and he had something that smelled _delicious _with him.

The nervous human set the tray he was holding on a small counter built into the wall of her cell. "I know you aren't eating." Alpha growled softly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You only hurt yourself by doing that." Her lips pulled back revealing her teeth. She was _not_ his concern!

The man sighed, taking the cover off of the food he gestured to it. Despite herself, Alpha's mouth watered. Things she had never seen sat on a whitish plate, a large slab of brownish meat, green tubes that appeared to be some sort of plant, an off white paste. The man rubbed his eyes tiredly and pointed to each object in turn. "Steak, green beans, and mashed potatoes. This was supposed to be my dinner last night but…I didn't eat." He laughed to himself softly. "My wife would be livid if she knew I was giving you the meal she made me." Alpha raised an eyebrow, the word wife was familiar but she couldn't place the meaning.

"Alright, I'll share this with you on one condition." Alpha narrowed her eyes; she would not let some pathetic idiot take advantage of her. The man yawned, pawing at the bags under his eyes before continuing. "No biting the hand that feeds you." Alpha's head tilted to the side; did the human just make a joke?

The man stabbed several green beans with his fork and moved cautiously towards Alpha. She watched him, brow furrowed in confusion. Why was the human being kind? The man got within arms reach. Still unsure what to do, she stared uncertainly at the food on his fork. After several seconds the man seemed to deflate, with a sigh he turned away. He was halted when Alpha loosed a plaintive whine. Glancing over his shoulder, he was shocked to see dangerous experiment looking at him expectantly.

Cautious for sign of a trap, he approached again. The fork approached Alpha slowly almost fearfully. It stopped, inches from her mouth waiting for her to make the next move. Alpha's mouth opened and, with surprising tentativeness, she took a bite.

()

"_I do apologize for my guard dogs, they are quite…overeager. What can you expect though; loosing your family can do that to a man."_ Ignoring what he was sure was a subtle verbal barb; Tony gritted his teeth and grabbed his rifle with renewed vigor. He didn't know how this bastard knew about Cynthia and he didn't care. When he found the fucking pansy artist, he'd fill him with holes.

Next to Tony, Sandy shivered unconsciously. Despite the situation, Tony felt a stab of pity for the girl. She was not trained for something like this, none of them were but that wasn't the point. She was little more then a child, thrown headfirst into a sea of madness and cruelty and expected to swim. He could clearly see the tears that threatened to fall, stubbornly lingering in her eyes. Despite her attempts to hide it, he could see how close she was to snapping. Idly he wondered if it was as obvious he was about to snap.

Sandy's gaze met his, for a split second Tony could see all the vulnerability, all the pain, all the guilt she normally hid. Her grey eyes disappeared behind their lids; taking a deep breath she opened them again. The tears still lingered but determination was clearly visible. She sent him a half smile and a shaky thumbs up. His heart broke a little. Why did someone so young have to be so strong?

"Be careful, Cohen isn't known for his hospitality." Tony's gaze shifted to Thompson as the soft spoken man chimed in. Tony hated to admit it, but the doctor looked bad. Even from meeting the man a few days ago, he appeared to have aged years. The destruction of his home clearly weighed down on the man. Tony could sympathize; nothing can prepare you for your world being destroyed. The man would either rally and be stronger for it, or he'd end it all. No one can help when your enemy is yourself. Tony had to admit he had a grudging respect for the man. He always tried to find a non-lethal way to end things. Despite all that had happened, he still tried to uphold his Hippocratic Oath.

"Believe me Doc, that much is readily apparent." David was the only member of their group Tony truly didn't know what to think of. The young man appeared to simply be a well meaning innocent who had been caught in the middle of all this. Still…with the Adam in his blood Tony was hesitant to trust the man. There was no telling what it was doing to him. He'd only seen him sleep once since meeting him, and he'd had horrible nightmares. How the man was still functioning after all this was beyond him. Tony was barely holding it together and he was fairly well rested.

With a soft hum, the experiment brushed against David, its hand lingering briefly on his. When the man barely reacted it bumped him gently with its shoulder, crooning questioningly. "I'm fine Sam just…just thinking." The experiment's brow furrowed in concern, whimpering softly it bumped him again. "Sam I'm fine!" The experiment recoiled, surprised by David's tone. As it did its unnatural gaze found Tony's inquisitive one. After a moment's pause it bared its teeth. Receiving the message, Tony turned away. He wasn't looking for an unnecessary fight.

They entered the central atrium of Fort Frolic. "I see his Quadtych didn't entertain him for long." Tony glanced when Jack had indicated. Several plaster covered corpses appeared to have been torn limb from limb, their bodies in various states of decay.

"_Up the stairs, I remember your help with that failure of a project little moth. I trust you will be as helpful with my latest endeavor." _The group cautiously headed up the steps. Before they could get more then halfway a crazed yell echoed around the atrium. With speed no human could match a Splicer leapt off of the second story. It grappled onto the side of the staircase its head popping over the banister. It paused seemingly studying the new arrivals to its domain.

It was like no Splicer Tony had ever seen. Rags hung in tatters across its body. Its skin was thick, leathery, and a mottled brownish grey. Its fingers were long and dexterous ending in barbed talons. Its face was dominated by a huge gash that extended from its left temple diagonally across its face. The gash moved slightly as the Splicer hissed, revealing jagged teeth. Its face was devoid of any other features, just visibly twisted flesh. Despite not having eyes the creature appeared to have no trouble maneuvering. "Cohen." Responding to Jack's voice, the creature turned to him with a hiss. "What have you done?"

"_I am striving for perfection! Anything that isn't up to par gets cast aside." _

Seemingly fed up with the strange creature studying it, the experiment darted forward raising its arm to hit the beast. Before it could be struck, the abomination let go of the wall. It fell the entire distance to the ground. An instant before it landed on its back, its arms and legs bent backwards unnaturally catching it before it could be injured. Limbs still bent at a disturbing angle, the creature scuttled down a side passage with a gurgling growl.

"Did…did that m-madman create that th-thing?"

Before any in their group could respond the speakers lining the area exploded with noise. "_FUCKING DOUBTER! You dare to judge my work before you see it in its entirety! Mr. Harper, you try my patience."_

Staring at the floor, Harper was obviously barely containing his terror. "S-sorry."

"_Hurry to the flame, little moth." _A door opened; inside the sound of children crying was audible.

"Amanda!" Not waiting for the others, Tony and Sandy sprinted into the room. The door closed behind them with a hiss.

()

"We know where they are! Let's fucking kill them!"

A loud smack echoed around Lamb's office as Leo backhanded Banes. The smaller man landed on his back his expression dazed. "No one asked your opinion cretin."

"Mr. Morrow, that is enough."

Leo's beady black eyes glared at Dr. Lamb. In response her icy blue ones narrowed, the only outward sign of her irritation, growling under his breath Leo relented. "As you wish…ma'am."

"Mr. Banes your obsession with vengeance is clouding your judgment. They are in the realm of Sander Cohen. Surely even a man of your…refinement has heard of him?"

With a low groan the Splicer stood to his feet, sending a glare towards the mountain of a man standing beside him. "So he's crazy? Everyone in this hellhole is!"

Leo raised his toaster sized fist to hit the Splicer again but halted when Lamb held up a hand. "Two years ago the Rapture Family attempted to bring Mr. Cohen into the fold. Unsurprisingly he didn't cooperate and so we resorted to using force. I sent over three hundred loyal members of the family into that man's lair, only Mr. Morrow returned."

Cracking his neck, Leo grimaced. "And barely at that."

"Chances are that Sander Cohen will kill them. The man is no threat to us unless roused to anger. I see no reason to start a war over this."

"He's one fucking guy! What the hell can he do?"

Leo glanced to Lamb for permission, when she nodded he spoke voice quiet. "That man has spent the years since the revolution…experimenting. There are things in that hellhole that scare even me. A rat like you wouldn't last five minutes."

()

The blood was warm as it dripped down her throat, the flesh that housed it giving way underneath her teeth. Pulling her head back she tore a chunk free. The feeling of it sliding down her throat was pleasant, the slight warmth soothing to her irritated esophagus. Smiling, Alpha licked her lips clean of the excess blood, savoring the metallic taste.

"I take it you've never had streak before?" Glowing eyes landing on the source of her food, Alpha shook her head. "Well at least we know you like it now." Already ignoring the human, Alpha hummed contentedly to herself, her belly pleasantly full.

"Can you talk? Do you just choose not to?" Meeting the human's watery blue eyes with her own, Alpha shook her head. Opening her mouth, she showed the inquisitive human. A dry rasping noise was the result.

"I'm sorry." Alpha was surprised, the man seemed genuinely sad about that fact.

"Alright…next question. Were you born like this?" Alpha shook her head. This human was confusing. He could have taken advantage of her, but he hadn't. He could have hurt her, but he didn't. She had never seen someone in a position of power not take advantage of it. He was being…kind.

The man opened his mouth to continue but stopped and glanced at his watch. He grimaced to himself before standing. "I'm sorry but the others will get here soon, I need to get the lab ready." He yawned expansively, a hand absently swiping across his receding hair line. "I'll bring more food for you tomorrow morning. We can continue our talk then."

Bemused, she watched the human go. As much as she hated to admit it, she was conflicted. The sounds of others in the main lab brought her out of her brief self analysis. Despite how tempted she was to eat food like that again, she was leaving. Eyes narrowed in concentration, she glared at the manacle restraining her right arm.

With a barely audible click, it popped open.

()

"Cohen! Let them go!"

Unnatural laughter echoed around the area. _"They flew to close to the flame little moth. Now that I have leverage, allow me to make my demands."_ Jack opened his mouth to object._ "Ah ah ah little moth, if I hear so much as a peep one of the children dies. _He paused for several seconds, when Jack stayed silent he continued._ "Good. The entire time I have stayed here I have been doing one thing, striving for perfection."_

"That _thing_ was your attempt at perfection?"

"_I would refrain from interrupting me again Mr. Kristoff; your friends can ill afford it." _Knowing the 'artist' could see him, David nodded his head. _"Good, now…where was I? Ah yes…perfection. The entire time I have stayed here I have been doing one thing, striving for perfection. Imagine my surprise when I discover that perfection has already found its way into the Rapture mausoleum. You will find this perfection, and bring it here."_

"What 'perfection'? What are you talking about?"

"_You don't know it little moth? Your large oafish colleague flushed it out an airlock."_

()

Vigilant for signs of pursuit, Banes slunk into the Persephone Medical Facility. The Spliced up nurse at the reception desk didn't even spare him a glance as he walked past her. There was something here that the walking mountain didn't want him to see, and if he didn't want Banes to see it, it could be used against him. A deformed doctor stalked past him, rambling about how filthy everything was.

In a room down the hall, some unfortunate bastard screamed in agony. As he passed a darkened room something slammed into the window. Jumping in surprise, he spun around. He was greeted by a screaming man in a straitjacket, his lipless mouth spewing blood and puss as he bashed his head against that glass. A faint hissing noise was barely audible as some sort of gas was vented into the psycho's room, seconds later he collapsed to the ground unmoving.

Slightly unnerved, Banes continued deeper in to the complex. He'd always hated hospitals, the sterile white décor and generally emotionless staff always made him feel as if he was in a morgue. The light flickered in a room to his right, illuminating its blood drenched interior. Above the operating table a huge circular saw dripped a dark liquid.

Walking away from the blood drenched room; Banes did his best to act like he was supposed to be here. Rounding a corner his heart leapt into his throat. A familiar mammoth silhouette had its back to him, talking softly with what appeared to be a semi-sane doctor Splicer. Stifling a yelp, Banes ducked back around the corner…

…and found himself face to face with a Splicer wearing a surgical mask. A fresh red stain had formed where his mouth was, as Banes watched it spread slowly. "What are you doing out of your room?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

The Splicer narrowed its eyes. "You are supposed to be in your room! Patients aren't allowed to roam the halls!"

"I'm not a patient you brain dead fucker!"

The Splicer's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Nurse! Patient out of bed! Help me restrain him!" Growling behind his mask, the 'doctor' lunged at Banes. Before he could react to the sudden attack, a gun sounded inches from his ear. The doctor's head snapped backwards as his right eye became a bloody crater.

"Fucking hell!" Clasping a hand over his ringing ear, Banes spun around. He found himself staring into the chest of the man standing behind him.

"What, might I ask, are you doing here Banes? Did I not make myself clear the last time?" Despite the calm almost deadpan manner in which he spoke, Leo's eyes were nothing short of murderous.

"I-I wasn't doing anything."

Humming in the back of his throat Leo raised an eyebrow, calmly readying his magnum. "In that case I'll just execute you."

"N-no! I was…I was looking for Adam to steal!" Banes closed his eyes, holding his hands desperately in between himself and the potential bullet.

"Uh-huh…I'd recommend leaving if I were you. The Queen Bee doesn't take kindly to people stealing from the Family."

Nodding franticly, Banes backed away from the mountain of a man. Once he reached the nearest intersection, he spun and ran as fast as he could from the hospital. Finding himself a small alcove in which to hide, Banes took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself.

Hands still jittery from nerves, he thought back to what he had seen in the brief moment he had seen Leo and the doctor talking. The patient's name on the sign above the door had stood out…Martha Morrow. Despite himself, Banes smiled. It appeared he had found himself just what he had been looking for, leverage against the massive Mr. Morrow.

()

The soft-one screamed inside her suit as she was crushed under its larger bulk. Her blood was sweet and filled with kindness. _Children looking up at her, laughing as she sang to them._

The metal-one struggled but was overwhelmed. Its blood was thick and filled with love. _Metal arm spinning as it roared and protected the little-one._

The steel-bubble gave away under its assault. The blood of the ones inside was starved and filled with desperation. _Squabbling amongst themselves as blades dug into flesh next to the body of the little-one._

The broken-one's screaming ended as its head was ripped from its shoulders. Its blood was diseased and filled with rage. _Screaming as it saw its child-bond fall to the ground. Screaming as it tore her killers apart. Screaming as it ran through the city. Screaming because the only alternative was to cry. _

The little-one stared uncomprehendingly at its face as it killed her. Her blood was rich and filled with energy. _Daddy falling to the ground as she watched. Smiling as it lifted her. Blank yellow eyes meeting hers as it opened its mouth._

* * *

><p><em>Sorry about that wait, I've had an increadibly busy month. Updates should be more regularly from now on.<em>

_As always please review._


	42. Breaking Stuff to Look Cool

As the metal doors flew off their hinges faster then the eye could follow, Alpha dove into the room. Before the humans could react, she was behind one. Grabbing the small grey haired man by the throat she held him between herself and the armed guards brandishing their weapons at her. She smiled slightly at the sight of the fastshooters they held, it appeared they weren't trying to take her alive anymore. The man struggled franticly, much to Alpha's irritation. Digging her sharp nails into the man's throat she…convinced him to stop.

"Let him go. Now!" The man who had spoken was the largest of the three guards in the room. His brown hair was graying at the temples, and his face was fairly wrinkled. Despite that, he held himself with the confidence of a man who wasn't unfamiliar with combat. Unlike the other two, who trembled like scared children, his gun was steady. Alpha smirked at the man, it appeared she'd found a leader.

"Put him down!" Alpha snarled in response, slowly backing towards the entrance to an adjacent room. "I will not warn you again!" Her only response was to dig her nail's deeper into her hostage's throat, drawing a small amount of blood.

Her back impacted the cold metal of the door, using her free hand she unlatched it and pushed it open. "Stop! Take one more step and I will open fire!" With a vindictive smile, Alpha tore her hostage's throat out and shoved him towards the guards. The man's blood sprayed from his severed arteries, sprinkling the guards as the metallic smell of blood filled the room.

The two inexperienced guards recoiled in disgust. As the leader yelled at them to 'get their asses in gear' Alpha leapt into the other room and slammed the door shut. A small burst of telekinesis destroyed the door's lock, buying her more time.

She turned to face the room, smiling in delight at all the mindless gibbering monsters trapped in their cells. The intoxicating scent of Adam permeated everything in this room, including the trapped insane humans. It was so nice of them to keep her food prepackaged.

With a flick of her wrist the door of the first cell was ripped free. The man inside was too deranged to understand what was happening and didn't react. In a flash, Alpha was upon him; sinking her teeth into his throat she tore a large chunk of flesh free. Pulling the thicker Adam laden blood from the man's wound, Alpha smiled as the murky liquid hovered above her palm.

She opened her mouth and with a flick of her wrist sent the Adam rich blood down her throat. Fighting off the sudden rush of euphoria that always accompanied feeding, Alpha turned to the next cell.

()

"What are we going to do?"

Tenenbaum sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I don't know Aaron. Unfortunately I don't see us having much choice…" In Theodore's hideout, Tenenbaum's group sat in something vaguely resembling a circle as they contemplated their next move.

"I should have killed him when I had the chance."

Theta sent Jack a surprised glance as Theodore near perfectly voiced her thoughts. "You could have killed him and you didn't!"

The world weary man sighed and nodded. "It was back when I was first in Rapture. He trapped me in Fort Frolic and made me help him with his latest 'masterpiece'. When it was complete he unlocked the Bathysphere station so I could leave and came to see his art in person. I could have fought and killed him there but I didn't."

Gesticulating wildly, Theta growled in the back of her throat, face incredulous. Again Theodore voiced her thoughts. "Why the hell not?"

Jack's tired brown eyes met the smaller man's watery blue gaze; an unspoken understanding was reached before Jack even spoke. "I was tired. I just wanted to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. It's not like I actually cared much about Rapture or its inhabitants at that point."

Looking like she had a sour taste in her mouth, Theta nodded. She didn't like it, but there was no changing the past…and she could understand becoming sick of killing. Her softly glowing gaze landed on David, who so far had stayed silent throughout their conversation. Humming softly, she bumped his shoulder with her palm. When he failed to react, her gaze grew concerned and she shook him gently.

With a start, David looked at her. Blinking blearily, like he had just woken up, he raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yeah Sam, what is it?" Theta whimpered softly and touched his cheek, asking in her unique way if he was alright. Pushing her hand away dismissively, he rolled his eyes. "I'm fine Sam, leave me alone."

Theta recoiled as if struck, eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear. After a second her surprise morphed into a scowl. Growling she made a chopping motion with her hand before gesturing between the two of them. "What?" Snarling in frustration, she repeated the gesture and followed it with a questioning shrug.

David raised an eyebrow, scowling unflinching at the upset experiment. "Is that unintelligible growling and erratic gesturing supposed to mean something?"

Theta stared at the glaring human, mouth hanging open in shock. After a moment's pause her eyes narrowed and her face took on a look of deep concentration. A low warbling growl was audible as she fought with herself, trying desperately to voice her thoughts. With a frustrated whimper she gave up, giving the human a beseeching look she begged him to stop this and just comfort her. He always made her feel better.

"Use your words! Come on, you can do it!"

Mistaking his tone for one of encouragement, Theta tried again. Eyes screwed shut in concentration; she tried once again to voice her thoughts. A rasping moan echoed about the room before it hitched and she broke into a coughing fit.

"What the hell was that?" Barely containing his amusement, David's voice was the final straw for the frustrated experiment.

Opening her tearing eyes, still gasping for breath and doubled over as she recovered from her coughing fit, Theta stared incredulously at her human friend. For several seconds they maintained eye contact, David barely able to contain a smile as Theta stared at him in shock. As a strangled whimper became audible, Theta broke their brief staring contest. Blinking rapidly, she stood to her full height as the whimpering rose in volume. Not looking at any of the room's other occupants; she turned and ran. She didn't know where she was going; she just knew it was better then here.

"What was that about?"

Rubbing his temples, David glanced at an irritated Jack. "Nothing, drop it."

"She was j-just concerned about you. You sh-shouldn't treat her l-like that."

"I don't need to listen to this shit." With an irritated sigh, David stood and left.

"Who pissed in his lemonade?"

Ignoring Theodore's comment, Harper continued. "I-I know we're all stressed but that d-doesn't excuse him."

Tenenbaum sighed tiredly. "I know Harper. Just give him time to calm down; we have all been through a lot in the past few days."

()

The room was filled with a sudden light as the door was blown off its hinges. Seconds later it was plunged back into pitch black, save for the light emanating from the doorway. The first two human's entered, scatterguns held with practiced ease. Utilizing the flashlights mounted on the end of their guns, they did a quick survey of the room. As several others slowly entered the room, one of the scattergun wielding men spoke into his helmet mounted radio.

"No sign of the primary subject sir, it looks like it just tore the test subjects apart and left."

The reply was only audible due to her enhanced hearing. _"There is no other way from the room, check the bodies."_

"Acknowledged." Pointing with the arm not holding the scattergun's trigger, the man motioned to his subordinates. "Clean the room, single shot to the head for all of them." The peons advanced slowly into the room, methodically executing the savaged victims. No matter how heinous the damage already done to them, every body received the same treatment. Unseen, Alpha smiled.

With a bang, the last body was shot. "That was all of them sir, still no sign of the primary subject."

"_It can't have left; it's still in there with you."_

"Sir? There's nothing else here. Are you sure it couldn't have esc-" The leader paused, staring in confusion at the black insect that had landed on his visor. What was a bug doing here? This was a clean facility, where could it have come from? Shrugging mentally, the man slapped his visor, turning the insect into a greenish smear. As if in response a buzzing noise filled the air.

"_Corporal, what's happening? Answer me damn it!" _

As one the bodies of the experiments began to thrash, black insects burrowing out from beneath the skin and exploding from every orifice. The screams began soon after, followed quickly by desperate gunfire. As the last man collapsed to the ground, Alpha dropped from the ceiling and calmly left, the dieing men's screams like music to her ears.

A scientist stood frozen in fear next to the elevator door. Drenched in blood, Alpha stalked slowly towards the cowering individual. Grabbing him dismissively by the throat, she dragged him to a paper that appeared to show the design of her armor. Releasing him, she pointed to the picture with a growl.

"W-what?" Snarling she grabbed the back of his head and slammed him into the picture. Releasing another pointed growl, she let go of the pathetic human. "Y-you want your armor?" Rolling her eyes she nodded. "I-it's down the hall, third door on the left. It…it's locked but I doubt that would stop you." Alpha nodded glancing in the direction he indicated. "C-can I go?" Without preamble, she snapped the man's neck and headed down the hall. There was something beautiful about the feeling of a man's vertebrae snapping in your grasp.

Kicking the door open, Alpha stalked into the room the man had indicated. Her armor lay atop a table, disassembled but looking none the worse for wear. Letting the blood drenched surgical gown she had been wearing drop to the floor, she pulled on her armor with practiced ease.

As she lifted her helmet, a red light caught her eye. In the far corner of the room a camera was watching her. She couldn't help but feel amused. Sending any humans watching a wink, she fastened her helmet in place. With new confidence, she walked calmly towards the elevators…and the group of armed humans waiting for her.

()

Private Franks couldn't help regretting his choice in occupation. Mother had always told him nothing good would ever come of letting dad recruit him into whatever semi-legal dealings the government had him doing. Had he listened? No. And look where it got him! Standing with twenty some odd other poor sods, all scared shitless. All were expected to shoot whatever was rampaging around down here on sight. The worst part was that the whatever-it-was was classified so all they new was if you saw anything that looked the slightest bit odd, you shot it.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is bullshit?"

As discontented rumblings chorused in agreement, Sergeant Fitzpatrick brought his soldiers back into line. "All of you shut the hell up! We have our order and we will follow them to the letter. The next one of you who speaks out of turn is going to go scout the area!"

Silence…

A strange sound echoed down the hallway towards them, it took Franks several seconds to recognize it but when he did a chill went down his spine. Someone was sobbing in the distance. It got steadily louder causing all the soldiers to shift uncomfortably in place. Just when he thought he could stand it no more, a girl shuffled into view.

She was pale, incredibly so, as if she had never seen the sun a day in her life. Her greasy blond hair hung in matted clumps and reached her shoulder blades. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy from crying and were an amazing icy blue color. As she saw the soldiers they widened, revealing more of the bloodshot whites, and she let loose a surprised gasp followed by a whimper.

For what seemed to be a lifetime, the soldiers and the girl stared at each other, unmoving. Trembling, the girl looked away, biting her lip and hugging herself. After a moment she returned to her previous posture and stared at them again. Franks raised an eyebrow at the odd behavior, what was wrong with her? Another miniature lifetime passed before the girl repeated herself. Looking away, she bit her lip and hugged herself. Several seconds later she returned to her previous posture.

"What the hell?" Franks didn't realize he had spoken aloud and frankly didn't care. When the girl repeated herself, she did the exact same thing. Not going through the same motions, she did the _exact_ same thing. Before Franks could tell the others, Fitzpatrick lost his patience. With a low growl he fired a three round burst into the girl's chest.

Needless to say, the soldiers were shocked when the girl didn't react to the bullets. They left no visible mark on her, passing through her as if she were a ghost.

"Sergeant, what the hell!" Franks glanced at Fitzpatrick only to see his superior staring blankly into space. "Sir? Are you okay?" The older man's mouth opened slightly and blood oozed forth. "Sir!" The sergeant collapsed to the ground, blood discoloring his uniform as it gushed from his chest…in the exact place he had shot the girl…

"Don't!" Franks was too late, twelve of his allies opened fire on whatever was standing before them. They didn't move, didn't even jerk like they were shot, they just collapsed with wounds exactly where they had shot the thing. As Franks and the remaining soldiers stared in shock at their dead friends, the not-girl glanced away fearfully, biting her lip and hugging herself.

"What the fuck is going on man! This is crazy!" Franks turned towards the speaker, Private Belial if he remembered correctly, and his eyes widened in fear. Something was standing behind Belial, something that hadn't been there a second ago. There was a wet schlick and something sharp and made of metal poked out of his chest. The man looked downward, seemingly unable to comprehend the weapon he was impaled on.

"Mary mother of God…"

Before they could react, the thing tore its weapon from Belial and leapt into the air. Moving with an inhuman grace, it danced through their ranks. It was beautiful. With a fluid grace no human could hope to achieve, it killed his friends. No movement was wasted. Dodging a burst of gunfire turned into a roundhouse kick that snapped a man's neck. It purposefully spared a man so his retaliatory burst of gunfire could be used to kill one of his comrades.

It wasn't human…it couldn't be.

It rolled towards a man. As it stood, it lashed out with an arm, taking his legs out from under him. It was already moving towards the next as the man hit the ground, eyes going blank as he landed on a fallen comrade's bayonet.

It was divine…nothing so perfect…so pure…could possibly come from this world.

Its palm slammed into a man's nose. There was an audible crack and he collapsed to the ground, the broken shards of his nose having pierced his brain.

It was an angel…an angel of death…

As it stood over its latest sacrifice, it heard Franks' only remaining squad member ready his gun. With inhuman speed, its foot caught the shoulder strap of a fallen man's rifle. Flipping the weapon into the air, it caught it and fired a single bullet. His friend fell to the ground, a hole in between his eyes.

The angel turned its attention to him; he barely noticed his rifle fall from nerveless fingers. He blinked and it was before him. A sharp pain in his stomach caused him to groan in agony. With its right hand occupied wielding the weapon that was impaling him, its left moved to caress his face. He could hear it shushing him, the comforting noise reminding him of home and of his mother. He stared into the blood red visor that hid its angelic continence from the eyes of mere mortals. Some form of understanding passed between the two as they stared into each other's eyes.

With speed only an avenging angel could possibly have, it snapped Franks' neck and let his body fall to the floor…

()

Alpha growled softly in frustration, it appeared the humans had shut down the elevator. Maybe they weren't as idiotic as they seemed. With a dismissive flick of her wrist, the elevator doors were wrenched open. She walked to the shaft and looked down, despite the near absolute darkness she was able to see clearly. The shaft continued a few more stories beneath her and leads upwards an indeterminate amount. The elevator was stuck between floors maybe fifty feet above her, she could hear the muffled and panicked voices of its occupants.

With a pop, Alpha disappeared. She reappeared just below the elevator, grabbing a metal strut with her left hand. The sudden weight caused the metal to groan softly. She could hear the humans hushing each other, clearly hoping they would go unnoticed. Smiling to herself, she effortlessly swung into the gap between the elevator and the wall. She purposefully made as much noise as possible as she climbed up the side, relishing the terrified whimpers the humans were releasing.

The emergency escape hatch was ripped free and tossed aside effortlessly. The faces of seven terrified humans stared up at her. Grabbing the cable that held up the human's metal coffin, she prepared to cut it. She stopped when she recognized one of the humans. The Stone human, the one that fed her, he was staring at her. His watery eyes wide behind thick glasses, he stared at the monster that was about to kill him.

Snarling at the unwanted emotion she was feeling, Alpha telekinetically grabbed the frail human. Flicking her wrist she destroyed the nearest entrance to a floor. Tossing the terrified human to safety, she cut the cable. As the other humans screamed for the last time, she teleported to the top of the shaft. Simultaneously the door to the top floor and the metal coffin were crushed, silencing the human's screams and starting hers.

Wailing like a banshee, she threw herself at the defending humans. Killing them in new and creative ways made her feel a bit better about herself. It wasn't that she had been merciful to the Stone human; she had just…acknowledged his moment of kindness.

()

_Can you hear them? Screaming in the cellar. _It wasn't real. _They burn, their flesh bubbles and falls from the bone. They burn, all the little ones._

Shut up! _A ring around the rosie. A pocket full of posie. _Why wouldn't it stop? _Ashes, ashes they all fall down!_

_Can you hear them? Pounding on the cellar door. _Please, please make it stop. _The screams, such sweet music. The screams, like little angels._

_The condition is degenerative. It destroys the mind and the body, leaving nothing of the host behind. _Why wouldn't they be quiet? _It's almost alive. It remembers its victims, and it makes us remember them too._

_Can you hear them? Crying to laugh, laughing to cry. _Please…just be quiet. _They're so happy, crying as they feed. They're so sad, laughing as they burn._

It was so hard…_Daddy took a fire axe and hit me in the head_…to remember.

It was so hard…_Pounding on the cellar door…_to blot them out.

It was so hard…_Daddy hit me with a fire axe and now I'm dead…_to focus.

It was too hard…_Their flesh bubbles and falls from the bone_…to remember.

It was too hard…"David?"…to blot them out.

It was too hard…_How could we have known?_...to focus.

It was impossible…_Screaming in the cellar_…to remember.

It was impos-"David!"

He opened his eyes. Tenenbaum stood above him, concern evident in her pinched features. "Are you alright? You appeared to be having a nightmare."

I wasn't sleeping. "I'm fine Doc, just tired…"

Her eyes softened slightly and she rested a hand on his shoulder. "We're all tired David. Get some rest, you need it."

Smiling slightly, he nodded to the older woman. The last thing they needed was to worry about him. "Yeah, will do Doc."

With a tight lipped smile, Tenenbaum gave him a nod and closed the door.

Loosing an exhausted sigh, David lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. He was David Kristoff. He had a younger brother and an older sister. His father died when he was young and his mother worked herself to the bone to support her children. He was David Kristoff, and he would never forget it…_cellar door_…

* * *

><p><em>Remember that time David got a metric crap ton of Adam jammed into him? I bet you all thought I forgot about it. A rather Alpha heavy chapter, I know. But her escape had to happen sooner or later and I figured I'd do it in two parts instead of having it take several chapters.<em>

_Anyways as always please read and review._


	43. Identity

_I'm going to warn any squeemish people before hand, Alpha has some fun this chapter._

* * *

><p>Even her sobs had a raspy inhuman quality to them, all they did was remind her what she really was. She had been an idiot, deluding herself into thinking that just because she had thrown off the Mother's shackles that she was no longer a monster. Her first true memory was of gorging herself on the Adam from an 'angel'. How could something that's first true memory was drinking blood from a rotting corpse ever be anything more then a monster?<p>

She had vague memories of her conditioning, the slow process of convincing a little girl to drink blood. The memories of beforehand were even fainter. Of the time with her true parents, all she could remember was a feeling of happiness and one of safety. Who had her parents been? Had they loved her, doted on her every whim? Had they hated her and she had simply been too young to understand?

Thoughts of her parents led inevitably to ones of her. Who had she been? Who would she have been? What had her name been? It certainly hadn't been Samantha. She could remember one of the doctors naming her that. He had said she reminded him of his daughter. That thought hadn't stopped him from cutting her open and turning her into a monster.

Her laugh sounded more like a hiccupping sob.

Her featureless helmet stared back at her in condemnation. From its perch on a nearby piece of rubble, it laughed at the scared little girl that was supposed to be Rapture's alpha predator.

The helmet inevitably conjured forth thoughts of Daddy. She had idealized him. Worshiped the very ground he walked on, adored the broken form of some poor man. Had he had a family? Had they missed him? Had she taken him from his own children? His _real_ children. Had she taken him from a wife? A lover?

She had thought that when her initial indoctrination broke that she understood Rapture. She had taken Daddy's name thinking it would give her his strength. Theta wasn't a blessing, it was a curse. A constant reminder of the sick worship she had felt for a mindless monster. A constant reminder of the mindless monster she had become.

This time her laugh really was a hiccupping sob.

She was her Daddy's little girl. She lived up to his twisted legacy in every way possible. She was every bit the monster he had ever been, and more. In fact she was worse then he ever was. She had let them turn her into a monster other monsters feared, and she had done it with a smile. He had no choice in the matter; he was taken against his will and bastardized.

She was glad David had stopped treating her like she was anything other then a monster. She wouldn't be able to hurt him this way.

Her gaze turned to the cool glass before her, and the calm ocean on the other side. Two yellow lights caught her attention. Tilting her head to get a better look, she was mildly surprised to see the lights follow. Her eyes…she was seeing their reflection. Snarling, Theta's armored fist smashed into the reinforced glass, cracking it slightly.

She had forgotten about her eyes and their baleful yellow glow. Neither the pupil nor the iris were visible, both consumed by the acidic yellow color that filled her eyes. A thought occurred to her, one she was surprised she hadn't thought of before. What color were her eyes? Not the monstrous yellow things staring back at her from the glass, but her _real_ eyes. Were they brown? Blue? Green?

She was absently aware of water flowing down her cheeks. She wasn't crying. No, there was a leak above her. Yes, that was it. There was no way she was crying. Monsters didn't cry.

Behind her, a booted foot crushed a small piece of rubble. She stiffened in surprise. Frantically, she pawed at her face. Trying to get rid of the evidence of her tears…the leak. The entity behind her wasn't moving and hadn't addressed her. She hissed softly, warning whoever was behind her to leave before she lost her temper.

"You are not supposed to be here."

Raising an eyebrow, Theta glanced over her shoulder. The large brainless monster that had escorted them to the fat one was staring at her with its lifeless white eyes. Baring her teeth, she snarled at it before turning away.

"You are upset." Theta snorted incredulously, this thing really was brainless. Any even partially sane Splicer would be running as fast as it could at the prospect of facing an angry Big Sister.

Glaring daggers at the lumbering brute, Theta rotated her body so she was facing it. "You should not be here." A low growl rumbled deep in her chest.

"You are upset." Unsurprisingly, the brainless thing was oblivious to her fraying patience.

With an impatient flick of her wrist, she shoved the brute away from her with a small burst of telekinesis. It stumbled but didn't leave, baleful white eyes still fixed on her.

"Kill what upsets you, not those that stumble upon you while you are upset." Theta's head tilted to the side in confusion, she had not expected the creature to be so observant.

"You should not be here." Despite herself, Theta laughed. Dragging a hand across her eyes for a final time, she grabbed her helmet and put it on.

"Follow. You are wanted by the others." Theta nodded and fell into step beside the monster. She knew the only one that mattered didn't want her. Still…it was nice to feel wanted, even if it was just pretend.

Unseen by both of Rapture's monstrous children, in the ocean's murky depths two yellow lights followed their progress. Briefly, they vanished before reigniting as their inhuman owner blinked.

It was hungry. The taller food had what it needed. It was hungry. It had consumed one like it before, the thought still caused its malformed mouth to water. It was hungry. Its monstrous body tensed as it prepared to pounce, mouth opening in a twisted mockery of a flower blooming. It was hungry. The food would struggle, food always struggled, but in the end it would feast. It was hungry. Food was here to be consumed; no amount of struggle changed that.

It was hungry. It smelled food. It was hungry. Food was in the water, moving between the places food hid. It was hungry. Mammoth bulk pushing off of the boulder it had perched upon, it headed towards the food in the water.

It was hungry, and soon it would feast.

()

The wooden door to the office exploded as nine hundreds pounds of force hit it dead center. The man inside was already brandishing a smallgun. Smiling widely behind her helmet, Alpha reached out with a hand. The man's arm stopped instantly, his face contorting in confusion as his arm refused to move. Slowly, his muscles protesting the irresistible force manipulating his arm, the gun moved the other way.

"S-stop!" The man's voice was strange, his damaged nose adding a strange whistling noise. Smiling in delight, Alpha pointed the gun at his head and made his finger pull the trigger. He flinched but was shocked when the gun didn't go off. She had telekinetically kept the hammer from igniting the gunpowder. Taking off her helmet, Alpha smiled softly and pulled the gun out of the man's hand.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Still smiling, Alpha replaced the gun with a scalpel. The man stared at it in confusion for several seconds.

"What?" The man's eyes widened in terror as his arm began to rise against his will. The scalpel's razor sharp blade neared his eye slowly but steadily. "No no! Please! Stop!" Still smiling her sickly sweet smile, Alpha gave the man a condescending pat on the head.

This was the human responsible for her live dissection. He was the one that had decided that putting her under, or giving her pain killers, might ruin the 'experiment'. He was the one responsible for the agony she had been through, this seemed only fair.

"Please! I was just following orders! I was just doing my job!" Alpha laughed softly, it was fun to enjoy your job. That was something they had in common. Her job was to gather children to become Little Sisters, protect the Adam system, kill enemies of the Family, and protect Rapture from threats. This human was a threat, he was going to die…he screamed shrilly as the blade began to pierce his eye…but that didn't mean she couldn't take her time doing it.

Alpha watched with a sick fascination as the man's eye gave way to the intruding blade. A clear liquid oozed forth, tinged red with blood. The man whimpered, but was unable to move as his hand was forced to sink the blade even deeper. The thin shard of metal met slight resistance as it reached the end of the eye socket. After a moment's pause, and a slight twist to increase the pain, Alpha made him slowly pull the blade out. The man's eye fell apart at this point, its membrane stuck to the scalpel as it ruptured. The clear liquid surged forth, running down the man's cheek in a twisted imitation of tears.

"Please…no more." Alpha giggled to herself as she forced the man's hand to his other eye. It was hardly fair after all, this one must be feeling left out of the fun.

"Oh God no…" The man's voice was a tormented whisper that broke off into an agonized whimper as the scalpel repeated its 'operation'. This time, instead of having it go straight in, Alpha had him twist it slowly and steadily. The eye was destroyed much quicker this time, rupturing almost instantly as the membrane containing it was torn apart.

With a disappointed huff, Alpha had him pull the blade free. There was no fun in digging it around in an already ruined eye. As Alpha contemplated what else she could do to the man responsible for her pain, the object of her 'tender affection' stood where she forced him to, crying softly as what remained of his eyes ran down his face.

A most unwelcome noise sounded from behind her, many pairs of booted feet heading towards the office she was having fun in. Snarling in rage at her play time being interrupted, Alpha grabbed the man's head and slammed it with bone crushing force into his wooden desk. With a wet crunch, the scalpel plunged through the man's brutalized eye socket and into his brain. He twitched twice before falling still with a gurgle.

As the human soldiers rounded the corner and came into view of the destroyed door and the enraged experiment, Alpha lunged forward. She was running out of patience, these humans were killed quickly and efficiently, she was growing tired of playing with them before they died.

()

Consciousness returned in slowly. He became aware of a dull pain throbbing in the back of his skull, muffled voices speaking. He descended once more into blackness. His eyes opened, the images they received were blurry and not understood. He tried halfheartedly to lift his head before once more succumbing to the darkness.

"-it Tony! Wake up! You're scaring your girl." Even in his semiconscious state, that caught his attention. He didn't want to scare her, she was…his daughter? Yes, that seemed right. An image, a blond child in a dress with deep brown eyes. She was laughing.

What was her name? Andrea? No, that wasn't it. Amanda? A feeling of warmth filled his chest at the thought of his little girl. She was so beautiful, so like her mother.

"Wake up you overgrown gorilla!"

His eyes opened slowly. Cynthia was leaning over him, her light brown hair brushing his face as she stared into his eyes. "Whatimeisit?" She leaned back, head tilting to the side in bewilderment.

He groaned, sitting up slowly he pawed at his eyes sleepily. "Did you hear me love? What time is it?"

Cynthia darted backwards in shock. "Oh God…Tony I'm so sorry." He frowned in bewilderment, her voice wasn't right, filled with a strong accent he knew didn't belong.

Sandy…

It all rushed back in an instant, Cynthia's death and Amanda's abduction, meeting Tenenbaum, finding Rapture, finding Amanda turned into some sort of monster, curing her, and ultimately loosing her again.

The crushing weight of his wife's death hit him like he had just lost her a second time. "I'm sorry Sandy, I'm…I'm sorry."

A small hand grabbed his shoulder in a surprisingly firm grip. "Don't apologize soldier man, I didn't see anything."

A feeling of gratitude for the petite woman before him welled up in his chest. He smiled at her as she smiled back, ignoring the tears that were clearly visible on his cheeks. "Thanks kid."

Before the young Australian could respond, a child sized missile slammed into his chest. "Daddy!"

Wrapping his arms around his daughter's small frame, Tony buried his head in her hair. His voice was muffled but still understandable. "I missed you babygirl." Relishing being able to just hold her in his arms, Tony took stock of their situation. They appeared to be locked in a cell of some sort. Sandy, had her sibling Carol in her lap, and the other girl, Sandra, was clutching her arm. Movement further in the room caught his attention, he was surprised to see five Little Sisters huddled together, glowing yellow eyes staring at him in fear.

"They were there when I woke up; I don't know how long they've been here. They ah…they won't talk to me." Sandy said with a sigh.

Without warning, the heavy metal door to their cell slammed open. A hulking Alpha Series ducked through the doorway, its rasping breath reverberating around the small room. One of its arms was heinously mutated, bloated grotesquely there were _things_ wriggling about under its skin. Its fingers were barely noticeable lumps of flesh at the end of the limb, clearly they were useless.

With a dismissive grunt, it tossed a platter filled with some foul smelling goop onto the floor with its good arm. The five Little Sisters darted towards it, digging greedy hands into the thick greenish liquid they fed noisily and desperately.

As the beast turned to leave, Tony caught sight of a vaguely familiar symbol on the back of its still armored hand. He frowned in mild frustration, where had he seen it before? The metal door slammed shut with enough force to shake the room.

Tony closed his eyes and held Amanda close. Despite the cell he was trapped in, the disgusting gruel the Little Sisters were inhaling, and the pain in his head, all was right in the world.

With Amanda in his arms once again, for a brief moment, he was at peace.

()

"If we are going to do as Cohen has demanded, I have a plan." Jack grunted tiredly in response to Tenenbaum's statement as the others listened in silence. "He is the one that stole our Adam; we will need to convince him to part with it. If we can do that, we need to use it to bait the 'Big Brother' and contain it."

"Cohen's not exactly reasonable, how do we know he'll cooperate?" Theodore stated dryly.

Jack sighed before turning to rotund individual. "He's deranged and unstable, but he's not stupid. If we logically explain the situation he will probably allow it. He wants his 'perfection' after all."

"I-I still don't l-like it. C-can't we just f-fight our way to the others?"

"There would be nothing to stop him from killing them, we might be able to fight our way there but they would be dead when we found them."

"I know…what do y-you think?" Harper turned expectantly to David, head tilted slightly to the side.

David stared absently in to space, eyes unfocused, and didn't respond. "D-david?"

He blinked and jumped slightly, turning his head to face the smaller man. "What?"

"What do y-you think about Tenenbaum's p-plan?"

"Are you feeling alright David?" Thompson leaned forward, green eyes narrowed in concern.

"I'm fine…just tired." He paused, looking back at Harper for a moment. He seemed confused, as if he was trying to remember what the anxious man had said. "I…agree with Tenenbaum."

The others paused, unsure of how to react to David's apparent absentmindedness. They were broken out of their thoughts as the door to their hideout slammed open. "I found the Sister." Having said his piece, the mindless Splicer stomped through the room before coming to a stop in the far corner.

Not making eye contact with anyone, Theta slunk into the room. She paused for a moment, seeming conflicted about where she should sit. After a moment she made up her mind. With what sounded suspiciously like a whimper, she sat on the floor next to Jack, leaving the empty place on the couch next to David empty.

"Should we get going?" Jack asked tiredly, politely ignoring the sound of miserable sniffling coming from within Theta's helmet.

"Y-yeah."

"Now is as good a time as any."

The group paused once again, clearly waiting for David to voice his thoughts. When it became apparent this wasn't going to happen, Theodore gestured to the obtuse Splicer staring into the corner. "Take Gregory with you, he's good in a fight if a bit uncreative."

"I will stay here, I apologize but I am not particularly good in a fight."

Jack sent the older woman a half smile as he grabbed his chemical thrower. "Don't worry about it Brigid.

Tenenbaum nodded to them, clearly unsure of if this was the correct course of action. She watched worriedly as the others in her group prepared to move out without her. As Jack motioned the others towards the door, she stepped forward. Resting a hand on the tired looking man's shoulder, she looked him in the eyes. "Come back my friend, your girls need you."

At the thought of his daughters on the surface, Jack's face became slightly pained. "I will Brigid, for you and them." His face turned serious. "Come on, we're leaving." Theta was through the door before he finished his sentence. She was followed by a troubled Thompson, the doctor's gaze flitting between Theta and David. Harper followed soon after, the jittery man fiddling with his crossbow and casting furtive glances at the hulking Splicer staring into space.

Jack moved to follow, before turning to David. The human hadn't moved. "David, are you fit for this."

The young man's steel blue eyes found Jack's briefly before he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm…going." He stood, absentmindedly grabbed his shotgun and headed out the door.

Jack watched him warily as Gregory ambled past, obediently following his orders. "There's something wrong with him."

Theodore snorted in amusement as Tenenbaum nodded worriedly. "Damn right! He's making Greg seem like he's all there, and that's hard as hell."

Ignoring Theodore's comment, Tenenbaum made eye contact with her friend. "Keep an eye on him Jack, and not only for his sake. I don't like to think about what might happen to Samantha if we lost him."

Jack sighed, shoulders visibly hunching as if the weight of the world was upon them. "I will Brigid, I will."

()

Leo sighed in boredom, watching the indicator blink slowly in some obscure corner of Neptune's Bounty. The experiment had been there for several hours now, though that didn't prove anything. They could be scrounging for supplies for all they knew. The blip that indicated the experiment moved slightly to the right as it crossed a room. Leo rolled his eyes mentally, too disciplined to actually take his eyes off the screen. For some idiotic reason, Lamb had deemed it necessary for him to keep watch.

The blip moved slightly left as it crossed the room again. It was riveting stuff, really. He heard someone passing by the door and glanced over his shoulder, as he saw who it was a predatory grin slowly spread across his face. "Hey Buddy, get your ass over here."

With a long suffering sigh, Banes stalked into the room, eyes narrowed in hate. "The fuck do you want jackass?"

Leo actually laughed; it was cute when they thought they could argue. He stood slowly to his full height, enjoying the slight widening of Banes eyes as he took in his borderline inhuman size. "I'll let that snippiness slide this one time Buddy. Though…I feel I should explain something to your clearly deficient brain."

Banes opened his mouth to retort; before he could he doubled over with an 'oomph' as Leo's massive fist slammed into his stomach. The smaller man fell to the ground, eyes narrowed in hate as he caught his breath. "Now that you are in a listening mood, I'll begin. Once Lamb verified your information about a tracker was valid, she didn't give two shits whether you lived or died."

Banes dark eyes widened slightly in surprise. "So…naturally…she left it up to me. I decided, that since you aren't a complete idiot and aren't awful in a fight, you would be more valuable alive."

Leo's steel toed boot slammed into Bane's stomach, rolling the pained Splicer onto his back. "That means I _own _you Buddy." Bane's hand darted towards a pocket. Before he could grab whatever weapon he was going for, Leo's foot slammed it into the metal deck.

Smiling cruelly, he knelt down next to the gasping Splicer. "That means, I tell you to jump, you ask me how high. That means, I tell you to kill your mother, you ask me how I want it done." He twisted slightly, jamming his knee into Bane's throat. "That means, if I tell you to slit your throat, you do it with a smile." Beneath him, the smaller Splicer began to thrash. "You would do that, because you know that any way I have of killing you is a hundred times worse…"

He paused, letting the Splicer's face turn red and his eye begin to bulge…"do we have an understanding?" Banes nodded desperately.

"What was that?"

Several choking noises came from the struggling Splicer.

"Good doggy." Laughing slightly, Leo stood. As Banes desperately gasped for breath and grabbed his throat, he sat down in his seat and turned his attention back to the tracker. "Now fuck off, you're distracting me."

Ignoring Bane's desperate scrambling to obey, Leo smiled. The blip was heading back to Fort Frolic; maybe Neptune's Bounty had been more then just a supply run.

()

Alpha absentmindedly flicked excess blood from her harvester, as she maneuvered around the bodies of the latest humans to challenge her dominance. Cautiously she moved to a window. Though the majority of this base had been underground, the top floors including the area of nonose's office were aboveground.

She was…displeased by what she saw outside. Hundreds of human soldiers were assembled, all guarding the only entrance to the building. There were four large metal boxed with bigguns on their tops also pointed at the entrance. Well…the front door was out of the question now.

Her gaze moved further, beyond the human base to the sea of wooden spiky things that reminded her of Arcadia. It was far but within her range. Groaning mentally, she prepared herself for the upcoming surge of exhaustion.

With a pop she fell to the ground, up to her knees in the ashwater. She had cleared the human's base and was well within the sea of wooden things. Trembling in exhaustion and slipping slightly in the ashwater, she stood. Turning, she let herself concentrate on the slight pull she'd felt since she'd first awoken.

Even from this extreme distance she could faintly feel the song. Pushing past her exhaustion, she began a lopping run. Like a light in the darkness, the Adam called her home.

* * *

><p><em>Things are starting to come to a head, at least for the Cohen ark of the story that is. There's still the Big BrotherSophia Lamb ark and I've got some other ideas rattling around in my head that I might follow. In other words, don't worry. Theta and David aren't quite done with me yet._

_As always thank you for reading and please review._


	44. Oops

The great white orb in the sky had sunk below the horizon and had been replaced by an even brighter one. She could feel its heat despite how far it must have been from her. Probably no more then a few miles she reasoned, otherwise there was no way she could feel its warmth. How it stayed in the sky was something she didn't bother trying to understand. The surface was strange.

The ashwater beneath her feet crunched softly as her boots impacted it, the white powder turning to a brownish slush as the day warmed. Breathing slowly and steadily despite the inhuman speeds she was pushing her body to, Protector M2 Alpha tore through the sea of standing dead wood. The trunks of the dead woods flashed past her as she darted between them, following Adam's siren call. Her senses were stretched to the limit, wary for any signs of pursuit. So far she hadn't detected anything. A human made flying thing with a spinning blade on its top had passed within a mile of her a few times during the night; she hadn't seen it for several hours. If it had been a pursuer she had left him far behind.

Her stomach grumbled in frustration, protesting the strain she was putting on her body and the lack of proper food she had consumed lately. Frowning, she ignored it and pushed on. She was eager to return to Rapture, her Rapture, and to see Leo again. She missed him, wanting nothing more then to hear the comforting beat of his heart as her ear pressed against his chest.

Her mind distracted, she failed to notice the incline she was heading towards. As her foot found nothing but air, she fell forward, tumbling head over heels down the sharp drop the ground had taken. Her back hit a rock, knocking the wind from her lungs. A second later she slammed into the ground, though apparently it wasn't ground. Unable to withstand the sudden impact, the ashwater covered ice she had landed on gave way. Before her mind had even fully realized she was falling, she found herself submerged in freezing water and aching all over.

The temperature did not bother her, nor did the lack of air; her armored diving suit had served its purpose. Not to say she wasn't disoriented. Growling in frustration as she realized what had happened, Alpha broke through the ice a second time and began the slow process of climbing up the icy incline.

After an embarrassingly long time she reached the summit. Her visor was coated in ashwater leaving her vision obscured. Growling softly in frustration, she wiped her hand across the glass…and met a surprised set of blue eyes.

For several seconds the experiment and human stared at each other in shock, Alpha tilted her head slightly to the side and the tenuous peace was broken. "Grandpa!" The small human spun around, running towards an ashwater covered house Alpha hadn't noticed before. Seeing a fleeing individual, her instincts took over.

With her legs still hanging over the edge, Alpha scrambled to get purchase, wasting several seconds as she saw the prepubescent human running away. Her foot caught a protruding rock and she launched to her feet. Running with a speed no human could possibly match, she lunged after the fleeing human. Loosing a terrified yelp, the girl reached down as she ran. Scooping up a handful of ashwater she turned and hurled it at the charging experiment. "Grandpa! There's an alien after me!"

The wet projectile impacted Alpha's visor, instantly disrupting her vision. Reeling backwards with a frustrated snarl, Alpha clawed at the slushy projectile. With her attention diverted, she was unprepared for her foot to hit an icy patch. Loosing a surprised yelp, she careened face first into a standing dead wood and fell on to her back releasing an undignified squawk as she did. The child clearly had some sort of naturally occurring plasmids or something; it had nothing to do with her near complete exhaustion.

In the distance she could hear the house's door slamming open and an elderly male voice yelling. Ignoring it, she unclasped her helmet and sat up. Groaning she ran a gloved hand through her greasy hair. As she shook her head in an attempt to clear it, she heard the diminutive human she had been chasing release a surprised gasp. "You aren't an alien!"

"Beth, what happened?"

"I found this girl in the river."

"You what?" The elderly human seemed to notice Alpha for the first time; taking a surprised step backwards he warily pointed his weapon at her. For a small lifetime, the experiment and the wrinkled human stared at each other. Eyes narrowing slightly Alpha prepared to tear the old fool limb from limb. Before she had the opportunity, the man lowered his gun and gave her an appraising look.

"You hungry?" Before she could answer, he turned around. "Of course you are. Kids these days, too damn thin! Come on Beth, I'll make you and your new friend a sandwich." Still sitting in the ashwater, Alpha watched in bemused silence as the two humans headed towards their home. Was she supposed to trust them? They could be planning to poison her, or experiment on her, or torture her…or give her food. Her belly rumbled unhappily and her mind was made up.

Brushing off excess ashwater, Alpha stood and moved to follow the humans. After all, if they did prove hostile she was sure she could overpower a child and a fossil.

()

The silence was incredibly loud. Sealed inside a diving suit, the only noise he could hear was his own breathing. _Squish, squish, they all went squish._ And them…

He had to focus; he couldn't let them distract him. A rocky outcropping loomed suddenly from the murky depths. Remembering his directions, he obediently set a vial of Adam in a crevice. The vial had a small device atop it, connected to a master switch; it would open all the vials it was connected to on command.

_Several theories have been proposed as to the origin of Adam._ With a growl, David shook his head clear and moved to the next outcropping. It wasn't real, none of it was. The memories, they weren't his, it took effort but he could ignore them. Or at least push them away for the time being. They were always there, always whispering.

_Can you feel it singing to you?_ He would have preferred someone else doing his current task, unfortunately Jack was overseeing their preparations inside Fort Frolic, Harper and Thompson were hacking all the security they could find, Sam _the glow of its eyes offends us_ was using her enhanced senses to ensure their target didn't approach before they were ready, and the brainless Splicer was unable to do complex tasks. This left him dealing with the bait. A part of him, a part rapidly gaining strength, wanted nothing more then for him to pull his helmet off and use the Adam he had been entrusted with for himself. The fact that removing his helmet would result in his death seemed trivial when compared to the _need_ he could feel growing steadily.

It would be quick. All he had to do was unlatch the helmet and he could have all the Adam he would ever need. His hands found their way to the latches before something stopped him. If he did this, his friends would most likely die, they were relying on him. Eyes narrowing in determination, he moved towards the next drop point. His friends needed him, he wouldn't let them down.

()

The second time the malformed Big Daddy dropped off their 'meal' Tony acted, as the beast turned to leave he called out to it. "That symbol on your hand, I recognize it. What does it mean?" He had been expecting it to ignore him, maybe even hit him for addressing it. He had not been prepared for it to stop in its tracks, even the _things_ wriggling about beneath the skin of its warped arm slowed to a near standstill. Slowly, the metal bound beast raised its armored hand and gazed at the symbol emblazoned upon the gauntlet. The creature's rasping breath slowed as it loosed a keening whine.

Tony felt his heart freeze as he came to a shocking realization, the experiment was mourning. After what seemed an age, its whine petered out and the beast turned back to the large human that had addressed it. It stared at him briefly before slowly turning its gaze to the group of Little Sisters cowering in the far corner of the cell. After a moment's pause, it left, metal door slamming behind it.

For several seconds no one moved, the slam of the door echoing about the confined room. Finally, their hunger overriding their fear, the Little Sisters darted over to the slop that passed for their meal before running back to their corner. As if she had been waiting for the silence to end before speaking, Sandy sent Tony a livid glare. "What the _hell_ was that? You mind warning me before you risk pissing off that fucking thing?"

Having trouble breathing, Tony sat back down. Unable to shake the sorrow he felt for the monster, he turned to his younger companion. Sandy sat against the wall, her dark skin unusually pale, and her brown hair sweaty and sticking to her forehead. Her sister was burrowed into her side, his daughter was curled up in her lap, and the other little girl was resting against her other side. Despite the situation, Tony couldn't resist smiling at his sleeping daughter.

"_Well?_ You going to answer me?"

"It answered my question."

"What?"

"That symbol on the back of its hand, it told me what it means." His eyes moving to the cluster of Little Sisters, Tony continued. "That symbol, it meant family, at least to the beast it did."

"Why does that information fill me with dread?"

Tony agreed completely with his younger friend, something about that Big Daddy disturbed him greatly. "What should we do about them?" Understanding they were being discussed, the five Little Sisters stared at them in borderline terror.

Sandy sighed sadly, resting her cheek in a palm as she surveyed the kids; none of them could have been older than eight. "I don't know…I-I want to help them but…"

"We can't cure them ourselves."

Sandy turned her upper body to face Tony, unable to move due to the girls nestled around her. "How could it have come to this?"

"What do you mean?"

"This, all of it!" She gesticulated wildly with one hand. "How could people have done this to each other?" Her voice cracked as she finished, eyes swimming with unshed tears. "Who does that?" A tearful laugh. "Who sees their people mutating and losing their minds and says, 'they've made their choices, I'm okay with this'."

"I don't-"

"And Tenenbaum, she may act remorseful but she did this. All of this, _all of it_, it's her fault!"

"People make mistakes."

"Don't!" The tears in her eyes were falling slowly, many catching in her lashes. "Don't defend her. She took little girls, girls your daughter's age, girls my sister's age, and turned them into that!" Her accusing finger pointed towards the cowering children before her arm went limp and it fell to her side.

"I…what do you want me to say?"

Sandy turned away, her jaw clenching and unclenching as she ground her teeth. "I'm twenty two soldier man, twenty _fucking_ two. I should be partying with my girlfriends, and making stupid choices under the influence of alcohol and other illicit substances. Not worrying if the ammo I have is enough to get me through that next firefight, not terrified that the next time that damn door opens that freak is going to eat me or something!"

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence after that, Sandy pointedly turned away from Tony, and Tony pointedly ignoring the silent sobs that wracked her petite frame. What did she want him to do? Wave his magic wand and make it all better? He was a soldier, he shot things. He didn't know how to handle a distraught woman.

An agonized scream echoed in the distance. Tony and Sandy froze waiting until the horrendous noise would finally end. When it finally petered out, Sandy broke down sobbing again, this time unable to keep herself silent. Briefly, Tony considered moving to comfort the distraught girl. He decided against it, after all, what did she expect him to do?

He turned his back on his upset friend, trying to blot out the sound of her quiet sobbing as he did.

()

Unable to sleep, Alpha stared absentmindedly at the ceiling. The old man, the 'grandpa' human, had given her several blankets and had allowed her to 'camp out' with the child. Not two feet from her position on the floor, the girl was sleeping soundly in her bed. Her soft snores grated on Alpha's nerves and she had to resist the urge to snap the child's neck.

The fact that she was the perfect age for the transformation hadn't escaped her. It would be a simple matter for her to kill the old man and take the child, maybe her trip to the surface wouldn't prove pointless. But…she was warm, dressed in comfortable pajamas, her belly comfortably full. These people, they didn't know her, they had nothing to gain from helping her. They had helped her for no reason other than…kindness. Like the Stone human a small part of her mind pointed out.

Could she really repay their kindness with violence? The child snorted in her sleep, her leg kicking against her bedpost. That answered her question. With a soft snarl, Alpha leapt to her feet. The child was far too noisy for her own good, her stupid snorting and mumbling was keeping her awake. Her hand grabbed the child's shoulder, her other poised to strike.

"Cmmtslp?"

Alpha paused, head tilted in confusion. Was she supposed to understand that? The child opened her eyes, peered blearily at her, and lifted her head. "Can't sleep?" She repeated, smiling sleepily at her, unaware how much danger she was in.

"Come on…" The child's hand found hers as she clambered from her bed.

Too surprised to resist, Alpha allowed herself to be led through the small house. Their journey took them to the kitchen. "This'll fix you up." Letting Alpha's hand go, the child moved to the refrigerator, she pulled out a glass bottle filled with a white liquid. Setting it on the counter, she opened a set of drawers and retrieved a pot. "My Ma always does this if I can't sleep."

Unsure of what to do or how to react to any of this, Alpha sat on the counter and watched with detached interest as the girl meandered about the kitchen. She poured a fair amount of the liquid, milk some almost forgotten part of her brain informed her, into the pot before setting it on a stove. With practiced ease, she ignited the burner and turned back to Alpha. "You have a family?"

Alpha began to nod but something stopped her. She had a family, she had the Family but…It didn't seem the same. They were her family, they looked out for her. _Do they really?_ She blinked, taken completely off guard by the sudden thought. Of course they did, she protected them and they fed her and gave her a home. _You can't do that on your own?_ She frowned, they helped her…didn't they? With a low growl she shook her head shoving the thoughts from her mind.

"I'm sorry." Alpha sent the girl a bemused look, puzzled as to how she had earned the child's sympathy. "Your family, I'm sorry about them." Alpha's eyes lit up in realization, she had shaken her head hadn't she?

"My parents are getting back tomorrow, they'll like you." Alpha laughed softly, if her parents knew what she had been thinking, she doubted they'd have liked her.

"Dad always says I'm much too loud." Her voice deepened and her face took on a mock serious tone. "You make too much noise Bethany Ann Harmon, it's unladylike. How do you expect to attract a husband when you're running and yelling just like one of the boys?" She giggled, and Alpha absently noted that she liked that noise.

Time passed in a companionable silence, the little girl humming to herself and Alpha deep in thought. With a soft gasp, the girl darted to the pot and pulled it off the stove. Grabbing a glass, she lined the pot's rim up with it and awkwardly poured the drink. Only spilling a small amount, she grabbed the drink and gave it to Alpha. "Warm milk, it'll be hot so you best wait a bit."

Despite the child's advice, Alpha tossed the drink back in a single long gulp, head tilted backward to minimize the hot liquid's contact with her throat. "That was dumb." The child ignored her pointed glare, happily oblivious to the danger her houseguest posed.

()

Perched atop a rocky underwater spire, Theta frowned behind her visor as she watched David's suited bulk meander about beneath her. His task should have only taken a few minutes; it had been over a half hour. He paused at random, often looking about as if dazed and confused. Twice, his hands had moved to the clasps of his helmet as if to remove it. Her heart had leapt into her throat at the sight, and she had grabbed the helmet with her telekinesis. Much to her relief he seemed to shake himself from a daze each time and continued in his assigned task.

After what seemed an age, he finished and meandered towards the airlock. She didn't allow herself to relax until the airlock had sealed. She was fairly certain she knew what was wrong with him but…she hoped she was wrong. Maybe his brain had been damaged in a fight? That would be better for everyone involved. She didn't know what she would do if he changed, if he became just another monster. Rapture had enough monsters already; people like him were far too rare. Despite how afraid she was for her friend, she was…relieved. He hadn't meant what he had said to her, it hadn't been him speaking. She just had to find a way to help him.

She leapt gracefully from her perch and surged towards Fort Frolic. Not bothering with the airlock, doors were for humans anyway, she teleported through the wall and into Cohen's domain.

The sudden loss of the water supplied weightlessness was slightly disorienting as always. She was used to it though, and with a shake of her head moved towards the sound of her companions. Jack, upon seeing her, offered a wave by way of greeting. She responded with a nod as her gaze landed on David's back. Jack, having apparently sensed her intent, headed towards the door. As he passed her he paused, his hand moving to rest on her shoulder. "Good luck." His hand squeezed her shoulder once, a gesture he probably thought was comforting, all she could think of was how close the hand was to her throat.

Jack left without another word, leaving her alone with her human friend. She cleared her throat softly, frowning at how harsh her mangled vocal cords made the sound. David jumped in surprise and spun around, his normally sharp eyes seemed distant. "Did you want something Deb?"

She shouldn't have been surprised; she'd seen what Adam could do to the mind, still…the fact that he didn't recognize her hurt. She stepped forward cautiously, her hand rose before falling limply to her side. If there was one thing she missed from before she had been freed it was the sense of purpose. When she had been a member of the Family she had always known what was expected of her. Without that direction she found herself floundering, just when she would settle on a course of action she would begin to second guess herself and it would all fall apart.

"It's cloudy tonight." A lump formed in her throat, was he even aware of where he was? Did he think he was on the surface? Did he think he was home? A soft hissing sound emanated from her helmet as she unlatched it and pulled it off. David paused when he saw her face, a slight frown marring his features. "You aren't…"

"_Traitors! All of you!"_

They leapt in shock at the unexpected noise. "Shut up!" Much to Theta's surprise, David fell to the floor, head clasped between his hands. "Shutupshutupshutupshutup!" Chanting as if his life depended on it, her friend lost what remained of his grip on reality.

"_You thought you could cross me? I'm Sander Cohen!"_ With a metallic whir, several turrets unfolded from compartments in the walls before rotating towards Theta and her incapacitated friend.

"_I'm Sander fucking Cohen! Fort Frolic is mine you fucking doubters!"_ Despite the situation, Theta allowed herself a rueful laugh. She couldn't help but wonder what set off the monster this time?

()

Deep in thought, she stared down at the child in her bed. The girl squirmed in her sleep, smiling absently. The girl was sweet…innocent, not at all like her. Still…she was pointless, served no purpose, did nothing but exist. Alpha felt a certain fondness for the girl, for Bethany. They could help each other. She would stay with Alpha, keep her company, and Alpha would give her a purpose, she would bring her to the Family.

Her mind made up, Alpha shook her soon-to-be sister's shoulder. She awoke slowly, blearily looking up at Alpha in a bemused manner. "Whaisit" She seemed to slur her words when tired Alpha noted absently. With a seldom used smile, Alpha pulled the girl from her bed.

"Why are you wearing your spaceman suit?"

She yanked the child through the house as quickly as she could manage; tuning out her question. "What's going on?" Alpha moved to the door. Needless to say, she was surprised when it opened on its own before she could grab it. A pair of humans stood on the other side of the door, a male and a female in their middle age. They were laughing softly, the man's arms wrapped around the woman and their faces close together.

The man saw her first; he froze in place and narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" His eyes flashed to the girl whose hand she was grabbing. "Bethany…I want you to back away from her slowly."

"Mom! Dad!" The girl darted forward only to be jerked to a stop by Alpha's unyielding grip on her hand. She gave the experiment an unsure look, realizing for the first time the strength in the hand holding her back. "L-let me go."

Alpha didn't respond, just narrowed her eyes at the adults glaring warily at her. The male growled low in his throat, straightening to his full height. Alpha resisted the urge to chuckle when she saw he barely reached her chin. "You heard her, let my daughter go." In response she narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on the child.

"Ouch! You're hurting me!"

The man took a step forward, gently pushing the woman behind him. "Let!" He was going to take her away! "Bethany!" Make the child abandon Alpha like her family had, like everyone had! "Go!" She wasn't going to let that happen!

She surged forward, dragging the unwilling child behind her. Her palm impacted the man's chest with inhuman strength; she smiled as she felt his ribs break under the pressure. With a pained grunt the man was sent flying out the door. He landed in the ashwater outside, groaning in pain but still alive.

"Eric!" Screamed the female human, having been bowled over by her mate as he flew through the air.

"Daddy!" Screamed the child whose hand she still held with bone breaking force.

"Let her go!" Yelled the enraged old man from atop the stairs, scattergun in hand.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Alpha heard the man pull the trigger of his gun. Faster than the human could react she spun to the side as the gun fired. Reaching out with her unoccupied hand she pulled slightly at the man with her powers. It was barely a push, more like a playful shove. From his position at the top of the stairs, a friendly shove was all it took.

The sounds the man made as he tumbled down the stairs seemed unnaturally loud as Alpha watched him fall. He pitched forward, eyes widening in alarm as he yelled in fright. The gun fell from his hand as he reached for a handhold. His shoulder hit first, crunching as his brittle bones impacted the hard wood of the stair. His head smacked the wall with a dull thud as he began to tumble head over heels. His body completed one full rotation as it fell, limbs thumping against the wood. It was near the foot of the stairs that _it_ happened. As his head pitched forward it smacked into the railing mounted on the wall with a crack. She watched in fascination as the life left the old man's eyes.

His body came to a stop at her feet, limbs a tangled mess. The female human remained where she had fallen, hyperventilating as she tried to come to terms with what she had seen. The male was still in the yard, moaning in pain. The child seemed unusually heavy, weighing her hand down more than she should of. Had her legs given out?

As Alpha looked down at the child she became aware of the familiar metallic smell of fresh blood. Bethany hung limply, her hand still clenched in Alpha's larger one. An unfamiliar prickling sensation formed in the back of her eyes as she stared at the unmoving girl.

Alpha blinked, uncaring of the tears that were beginning to flow down her cheeks.

The woman screamed, the sound of a woman who had lost something no parent ever should.

Through all this commotion, Bethany stayed silent, her head lolled to the side as Alpha shifted slightly. In doing so, it revealed the reason for her silence. The left side of her face was a bloody crater, the result of a mid-ranged scattergun blast. She'd been shot by the old man…after being pulled into the line of fire by Alpha.

Unable to stand the sight of the dead child, Alpha dropped the body unceremoniously and fled, leaving the latest family to be destroyed by Rapture's twisted legacy far behind.

* * *

><p><strong>I'd apologize but I doubt anybody really wants to hear it. I had some severe writers block and lots of real life things, it shouldn't happen again but you can't always plan for the curveballs life sends your way. One thing I can guarantee is that this story is not going to get abandoned, it might take a while to update sometimes but I'm going to finish it. I owe it to my loyal readers (if they're still following) and to my characters to complete this story.<strong>

**Thanks for reading. I'll see you all next time, and once again sorry for the wait. **


	45. Family Friendly Fun

_The smell of lavender permeates the air. A familiar laugh. "Look at her, she's so beautiful."_

_Clinking glasses and the low rumble of a crowd enjoying themselves. "So…you finally got yourself hitched?"_

_Blood and antiseptic fill the air, reminders of a darker time. Pained screams. "You bastard! You put this thing in me!"_

_The scent of a child filling his nose as she burrowed into his chest. The pages of a book turn. "What happens next Daddy?"_

_The lavender grows in strength as she hugs him. A contented hum. "Look at her, our little girl."_

_A calloused hand grabs his shoulder, the smell of tobacco in the air. "I'm happy for you brother, truly."_

_Her face is drenched in sweat and twisted in pain as she screams; she has never looked more beautiful. The cries of a newborn fill the air. "It's a girl, congratulations."_

_Her small hand joins his as he turns the page. Her unlined brow furrowed in concentration. "One fish, two fish…"_

_The weapon pierces flesh with a wet schlick. Her face frozen in shock and bathed in the red light from the monster's visor. _"Wake up!"

_Her hand rests on his chest, tracing idle patterns across his skin. Lips press softly to his cheek. "I love you soldier man." _

_He soars through the air, inhuman scream ringing out behind him. This couldn't be happening. "If anything happens, I want you to know…"_

_He awakens slowly, broken shoulder throbbing in agony. Her disemboweled body is the first thing he sees. "I love you Tony…"_

"-amn it soldier man! Wake up!" He shoots to wakefulness, taking in the situation in an instant. _"…and nothing will change that…"_ The lights have gone out leaving the reddish glow of emergency lights in their place. In the distance, staccato blasts of gunfire hint at the cause of the power outage. His eyes find Sandy crouched before him, she is worried.

"We are leaving." Pushing himself to his feet, he stalks to the door. Without the power it is a simple matter for him to pry it open. Sandy is protesting, there is no time. He grabs her by the shoulder and stares into her eyes. She is scared, unsure of what to do. "Trust me." Her eyes soften, she does.

He darts from the room, followed by Sandy, the girls and, to his surprise, the Little Sisters. They were a liability; if necessary they would be left behind. He takes turns at random, never staying in one place for long. At all times he is on the lookout for the creature that had been feeding them, it poses the biggest threat.

Light ahead, they have reached the end of the maintenance corridors. He motions for the girls to stay behind and ventures forward cautiously. His gaze lands on a Splicer, she has her back to him. He charges, the noise causes the Splicer to whirl around. She readies her machine gun and instinct takes over.

Gun held loosely, shoulder stock resting under the armpit. Clearly unfamiliar with the use of guns. Deformed face twisted by rage as it screams. "You won't have my pearls you brute!" Unstable, overly emotional, tenuous grip on reality. Good.

Eyes close in anticipation as the trigger is pulled. Clear warning sign, sidestep to avoid first burst of gunfire. Eyes open and widen in fear, surprised enemy wasn't hit. Arms tense as gun is readied again, mouth forms a thin line. Aiming for head, not center of mass, duck beneath second burst of gunfire and enter melee range.

Backs away, attempting to bring gun to bear. Foolish choice, too close to effectively use weapon. Smack gun to the side to eliminate threat completely. Teeth bared in aggression and fear, left hand attempting wild haymaker. Raise arm and catch blow in armpit. Wrap arm around attacker's to immobilize limb. Right hand attempts to use gun as a club. Utilize grip on shoulder to bring to the ground.

Screams in pain, fingers reflexively pull trigger. Bullets hit ground, harmless save for noise and flying bits of concrete. Torque pinned arm further. Break. Scream rises in volume. Head darts forward, sinking teeth into hand. Don't pull free, only cause more damage that way. Use biting to advantage, smash head to ground.

Dazed, teeth release and fingers slacken on gun's grip. Move quickly. Kneel on arm to immobilize, grasp gun and twist. Fingers break. Daze is broken, another scream is released. Gun is light, lighter than expected. Less than half a clip remains. Don't waste ammunition.

Raise gun above head, bring down stock first. Hits with enough force to slam head into ground. Broken eye socket, probable concussion. Again. Skull fractured, brain damaged. Again. Lose of consciousness. Again. Skull gives way, dead instantly.

Panting softly, he looks up. His eyes meet those of his daughter, terrified of the man kneeling before her.

()

She reacted instantly; a telekinetic surge destroyed the turrets before they can harm her or her disabled friend. The room momentarily secure, Theta crouched next to her human friend. Making the most calming noise she could, a rasping coo, she tried to comfort him and ascertain the cause of his distress. "Not real, not real, it's not real. None of it is real."

Her heart clenched as dread coiled around the life giving organ. She was such a fool; she had hoped that his complete lack of Adam would have granted him some resistance to the insidious substance. Clearly she had been wrong. Maybe if he had used the Adam, spliced himself so it wasn't just idling in his system. Or maybe that would have accelerated the process. She'd never heard of someone remaining in control after splicing, for long at least. Big Sisters and Jack appeared to be the exceptions to this rule. She knew that Big Sisters were immune to Adam's degenerative nature because of their time spent as a Little Sister. Jack had been created using Adam, he probably had an immunity similar to her own. David on the other hand was a human, a _pure_ human, he'd never touched Adam in his life…and his first dose of the 'wonder drug' had been massive in size. Truthfully, it was surprising he'd lasted this long.

The beginnings of a plan, a desperate plan, began to form in her mind. Before she could act on it however, she needed to get the both of them to safety. David was incapacitated, clearly unable to fend for himself, slinging his arm over her shoulder she pulled him to his feet. He was unable to stand on his own, leaning on her for support, but at least he wasn't dead weight.

They moved slowly as gunfire echoed in the distance. It appeared her allies hadn't been able to neutralize the security devices as quickly as she had. With David slowing her down she wouldn't be able to help them as quickly as she normally would, she hoped they could hold their own for the moment. Her helmet radio crackled to life. _"Cohen's got us pinned down by turrets in the atrium and the things he created are popping out of the woodwork. We need backup now!"_

Theta snarled, momentarily torn by her urge to protect David and her loyalty to her newfound friends. An inhuman cry followed by an explosion made her mind up for her. She eased David to the ground, resting him against the wall. His gaze was vacant, eyes unfocused as he muttered under his breath. With a final pang of regret, she left him where he sat. It's not like sitting in an out of the way hallway and staring out the window was dangerous…right?

()

"Stay down you moron, unless you want some structurally superfluous holes added to your body!" With a terrified whimper, Harper listened to Thompson's advice. The doctor sighed, out of their entire group why did he wind up with Harper when everything went to hell? He'd even take Theodore over Harper. The man might be comically obese but at least he seemed the type to keep his head in a crisis.

"W-what are we going to do? W-what can we do?"

Behind his improvised cover, Thompson shot the cowardly man a livid glare. "I don't know damn it! But panicking doesn't help anyone!" He ducked with a muffled curse as a bullet pinged off of his cover.

"At least it can't get much worse." Thompson closed his eyes in exasperation waiting for the inevitable. With a soft thud the inevitable landed next Thompson in a crouch. One of the _things_ Cohen had created tilted its head to the side, almost as if it was surveying him. The great gash that dominated its face shifted slightly as it bared its teeth.

"Harper." Before he could continue the creature dove at him with a crazed howl.

()

With practiced ease, Jack pegged a passing security bot with Security Command. The suddenly rogue bot spun around and immediately kamikaze rushed a nearby turret. Behind him, Gregory, the brain dead Splicer supplied by Theodore, unloaded his massive multi-barreled machinegun down the hallway. The brutish Splicer was ignoring the turrets and bots spraying bullets liberally in his direction, his entire focus was on the horde of monstrosities surging down the hallway towards him. "There are too many." Despite the urgency of their situation, the Splicer's voice held no inflection; it stayed the same emotionless timbre it always was.

"I know." A burst of lightning shot from his palm taking down a few bots as they flew by. "The turrets have us pinned down, we try to leave and we'll be shot full of holes before we get ten feet."

"They will be upon us in seconds, what other option is there?"

Before the mentally deficient Splicer could respond, a familiar screech filled the air. With a pop, Theta appeared in the center of the room already spinning. Lightning arced around her body like a pylon and any security bot unlucky enough to fly within several feet of her was shocked into oblivion. As her speed increased so too did the amount of energy her body was generating. To Jack's surprise, instead of expanding the electricity stayed confined to a three foot bubble around her…like she was building up to something. "Get down!"

His warning was a second too late, releasing a scream; Theta let loose the energy she had built up. The electricity slammed into Jack with the force of a charging Big Daddy, sending him flying into the wall. Judging from the pained grunt he heard just after he landed, Gregory had also been hurled through the air. The security devices fared much worse, they lay where they had fallen, their delicate circuitry unable to handle the sudden energy surge.

Before Jack or Gregory could recover enough to stand, the first of Cohen's monsters lunged into the atrium. With a gurgling growl it leapt at Theta, only to stop in midair. The creature seemed unable to understand why it was suddenly helpless, flailing senselessly as it snarled in anger. As a second leapt into the room, Theta acted. With a twitch of her wrist she hurled the floating creature into its companion. They fell to the ground in a twisted mass of flailing limbs and gnashing teeth, immediately fighting amongst themselves, their prey forgotten. Theta released a raspy 'huk huk huk' noise, that Jack later realized was laughter, and thrust both her hands forward. An invisible force slammed into the oncoming horde, sending them flying through the air like leaves in a breeze.

Upon landing the creatures began to savagely tear into each other. Seeing that Jack and Gregory were both standing, Theta jerked her head towards the stairs. "What? Why do you want us upstairs?" Theta ignored Jack, her eyes narrowed behind her visor as she clenched her fists. Cracking was audible as the windows lining the hallway in which the monsters were having their battle royal began to weaken, cracks spider webbing their ways along the glass.

"The door is jammed it will not close." Theta nodded, ignoring Gregory's observation. "You will flood this entire section of Fort Frolic if you do this." Inside her helmet, Theta smiled, she was relying on Cohen's domain flooding.

Water began to leak between the cracks in the glass, any second and the windows would shatter. Simultaneously realizing the Big Sister was set on doing this, Jack and his Splicer ally turned and began to dash up the stairs. They hadn't taken more than a few steps when the windows gave and the ocean came rushing in.

()

_She thrashed and screamed. It didn't save her._ He was moving, leaning on something and moving.

_She kicked and scratched. Still she was overpowered._ His arm was around someone's shoulder, someone half guiding half dragging him.

_She sobbed and begged. It served only as encouragement. _He was being lowered to the ground gently, the metal wall cool against his feverish skin.

_She lay still and broken. Still she burned._ The presence that had been guiding him, anchoring him, left.

_Get a knife stuck in the right way and all it takes is five pounds of pressure to pop a man's kneecaps off._ She smiled sadly, 'I'm sorry, Daddy isn't coming home.' _He needed it, needed it and she had it. Why did he feel so guilty? _

It called to him, Adam's siren song. It spoke to something deep inside him, a primal need, more urgent then hunger, thirst, and exhaustion combined. The song grew in strength as something approached, something with massive amounts of Adam flowing through its blood.

He opened his eyes slowly…and met the new arrivals glowing yellow gaze. It was large, that much he could make out as it lurked barely within the window's light. As if it understood it was being observed, it drifted further into the murky water. Now only the twin burning embers that were its eyes kept it visible.

David stood slowly, shuffling towards the large windows. Something about the new arrival simultaneously awed and terrified him. As if wanting to study him in turn, the creature drifted towards the window. It almost appeared to be glowing as its sickly pale skin caught the light. Its eyes shone with an inner light, though it was different then the yellow he had seen before. It was duller, almost as if it lacked the spark of intelligence he had seen in Big and Little Sisters. Its body appeared almost lopsided, its right arm considerably larger than the other.

A surge of lightheadedness overcame him as his _need_ spiked and he rested a hand against the glass to support himself. This…thing, it had more Adam contained inside its body than anything he had seen. _It is a god._ In the ocean's depths, another, far different, hand pressed against the glass. The thing's head rose slightly, fleshless nose twitching as if catching a scent. _It is a dog._

_The monster's mandibles spread in a horrific facsimile of a smile. Its right arm buried up to the wrist in Samantha's chest._ This thing was…familiar to him._ Face showing nothing save shock; Samantha gazed into her sibling's eyes. The monster's free hand grabbed her shoulder before, with a sharp crack and wet sucking noise; it wrenched its mangled hand from its victim's chest, taking a large part of her torso with it._ He remembered it, not them, _he_ remembered it. He had encountered it before.

His gaze moved to his hand, pressed against the glass…and the warped inhuman hand mirroring his. If not for the glass they would have been palm to palm.

()

She followed Tony as quickly as she could, the adrenaline in her system making her senses seem sharper. The massive man was moving quickly and with surprise stealth, the machine gun he had stolen from the Splicer gripped with practiced ease. It was odd…wrong to see him holding the unfamiliar weapon. It looked almost too small, his signature weapon had been considerably larger than the one he currently held, unfortunately it had been taken by Cohen and they were unlikely to ever see it again.

Small fingers grabbed her hand with surprising strength. Carol looked up at her with innocent eyes. "Sandy, is Amanda's daddy okay?"

"Yeah sweetie, he just wants to lead us someplace safe."

As they neared a corner, Tony held his hand up in a fist. Sandy stopped instantly, the girls a second to two behind her. He approached the corner slowly, gun held at the ready. He paused for a second before taking the corner with surprising speed, gun held at the ready. Seeing what was around the corner, he relaxed noticeably before motioning for Sandy to follow.

They continued in silence for several minutes until Sandy could stand it no longer. "Do you have any idea where we are?" She received an irritated shh in response. So, he was going to be like that. "Damn it soldier man! I'm serious!"

Tony's spine stiffened and he released a barely human snarl. "Don't call me that."

"What? What the hell are you blathering about? I've called you soldier man before!"

The look he sent her was nothing short of murderous. "_You_ don't get to call me that!" It was clear she was treading on thin ice.

"I-I'm sorry Tony, I didn't mean to offend you." She sighed, ignoring the tears that were building behind her eyes. She was so tired; she didn't know how much longer she could deal with this. "I just…I just want to know you have a plan. I _need _to know you have a plan."

His grip on his gun tightened. "Why the hell do I have to be the one with a plan? Can you not think for yourself?"

She stopped short, she had been expecting to be shushed or maybe glared at, she had not been expecting _that_. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Tony spun around, his teeth bared. "You want to lead? Then lead! You have an idea of where to go? Then tell me! Standing there bitching at me and questioning my decisions is not just irritating, it's detrimental!"

It happened so quickly she didn't have time to retort. From around the next corner, the mammoth Alpha series that had been feeding them came sprinting in their direction. Seeing the look in her eyes, Tony spun around, gun ready to fire. Before he could even pull the trigger, the beast punched him in the stomach with its armored hand. Utilizing its inhuman strength it followed the punch through, lifting Tony off his feet and slamming him into the ceiling with bone crushing force. The air left his lungs with a whoosh as he lost his grip on the gun.

The rifle slid across the floor, coming to a stop midway between Sandy and the creature. Knowing she had no chance against the monster without a weapon, she dove towards the discarded gun. Moving with a speed something its size should be unable to achieve, the Alpha series dropped Tony and spun towards Sandy. Its armored forearm slammed into her face with a crunch. Her legs flew out from under her before she landed on her back.

Her hands muffled her pained scream as they clasped her shattered nose, blood spewing down her face. She could hear Tony moving as he tried to regain his bearings enough to fight back. Her eyes, blurred by tears, could barely make out the Big Daddy looming over her. The floor creaked as it shifted its weight, raising a booted foot over her head. She was distantly aware of the terrified screams of the Little Sisters and the girls. Her sister was calling her name…

She should feel something shouldn't she? Fear? Anger? Sadness? She felt nothing, she felt numb. Before her would be killer could finish the job, a strange noise filled the air, a sort of mechanical whirring. Simultaneously, she and the Big Daddy paused, trying to determine the source of the noise.

They were still trying to do just that when a group of six Security Bots soared into the room, spraying the metal clad behemoth with a liberal coating of bullets.

()

The wall of water slammed into her telekinetic barrier with incredible force, actually managing to push her backwards a foot or two before she could stop it. The monsters created by Cohen had been washed away by the sudden onslaught of water, by now they would have drowned or been crushed by the pressure. She was able to hear Jack and the Splicer yelling at her, what they were saying was drowned out by the ocean's roar. Were they telling her they were clear, that she could drop her barrier and escape?

Trembling with effort as the ocean's pressure grew by the second, she glanced over her shoulder. As if it had been waiting for a distraction, something massive bashed against her barrier. She had been barely able to hold the water back when dealing with just the pressure, the sudden impact broke her concentration momentarily. Before she could even turn back to get a look at what was coming at her, the water slammed into her with incredible force.

She was hurled into the banister before the water grabbed a hold of her once again and she was sent careening down a hallway. Disoriented by the impact she was unprepared for something to coil itself around her ankle. Despite the fact that they were surging down a hallway amidst the ocean's water, whatever had grabbed her easily pulled her into its larger body. For an absurd moment, Theta actually thought that whatever was holding her was trying to protect her. The vacant yellow eyes and deformed mouth that awaited her when she opened her eyes stamped that theory out fast enough.

()

With a wet crunch, the crossbow bolt entered the monster's skull. Thompson only had a split second to see the yellow coloration on the bolt and throw the monster's body off of him before it burst in to flames. "What the hell was that Harper? You trying to kill me!"

Harper looked guilty at least, wringing his hands nervously. "S-sorry, I j-just wanted to h-help."

Grumbling to himself, Thompson sat up. While he was happy to be safe from Cohen's pet monster, there was still the matter of the four turrets that had them pinned down behind cover. "W-what are we going to do?"

"You could shoot me; after all if you're trying to kill me why not take out the middle man?"

"I'm serious! I made a mistake, I know that now, but what the _hell_ are we going to do?" Thompson blinked in surprise at his diminutive companion, he hadn't stuttered once. "S-sorry for yelling." That was more like it…

He sighed, the man was a concerned parent going above and beyond for his daughter, he couldn't be expected to act like a soldier. "You're right; I've got the Security Command plasmid. Given enough time and some luck I can probably peg those turrets with it and get them to destroy each other."

"I-I could try to draw their fire for you…i-if you want t-that is." Despite his near fatal mistake, Thompson found himself impressed by Harper. The man seemed to have some nerves after all.

"Yeah, but be careful. The last thing we need is either of us getting shot." He felt the familiar pins and needles feeling as the skin of his palm split open. The spongy blue orb that emerged from the unnatural gash would cause security to attack whatever he hit with it. "On three?" Harper nodded. "One." He could hear a faint growling, it sounded like more of Cohen's monsters were near. "Two." The growling grew in volume becoming almost mechanical. "Thr-"

Before he could finish his count, several Security Bots flying in formation emerged from the right hand passage. They promptly opened fire on the turrets pinning them down. Not one to question unexpected help, Thompson motioned to Harper and sprinted from the room.

()

A roar reverberating in its chest, her brother flung her away. It appeared it was unappreciative of having its head encased in ice. Knowing from experience how out of her class this enemy was, Theta used the brief reprieve to begin searching for an escape. Unfortunately given she was still at the mercy of the ocean's current her options were limited.

A door caught her attention as she was hurled down the hallway. On impulse she grabbed for it at the last second. While she missed the door itself, she was able to grab its frame. The sudden jerk dislocated her shoulder, only her stubbornness kept her from releasing her grip as her shoulder throbbed in agony. The pain was worth it however, she couldn't resist smiling as her still flailing sibling surged past her.

Somehow aware its prey was getting away, her sibling's right arm shot towards the wall. The horribly disfigured limb no longer resembled a human hand. It had grown horrifically, as if it had somehow taken on more tissue then it should have had. _With an explosion of pain it rips its arm from her chest._ The realization strikes her as the limbs monstrous claws dig into the wall. It had been fused with her chest, the extra muscle, organ, and bone bound with its hand at an atomic level. Somehow its body had adapted and used the excess tissue, transforming the useless lump of flesh into a massive claw. She was by no means a squeamish individual, but the fact that a part of her was a part of _it_ made her want to vomit.

Showcasing incredible strength, her brother sung itself up the hallway against the current. Its left hand, almost comically small when compared to its right, grabbed a railing. Dread coiled around her stomach as her leech squirmed uncomfortably, it was climbing up the hallway, climbing towards her. That hardly seemed fair! Idly, Theta found herself missing for the simpler days, when she was the undisputed alpha predator of Rapture, when her Family had been good and everyone else was bad, when she'd actually felt like she belonged somewhere.

Above it all she found herself missing her Daddy.

* * *

><p><em>Some insight into Tony's past and build up for climactic going ons in the next chapter.<em>

_Will Sam defeat the Big Brother? Will David uncrazyify himself? Will Jack and co be able to regroup and escape? Find out the answers to these questions and more, next time on Humanization! Given how overtired I am I should probably shut up before I ramble too much. Anyways, as always, reviews are much appreciated. Hope you like the chapter._


	46. Under construction

Believe me; I am very much aware of how much I suck. But fear not! Humanization is _not_ abandoned. A combination of several things resulted in me losing interest in Bioshock which was the cause of the initial halt in updates. I am, however, still very much attached to the story I have planned for Humanization. After getting a chapter or two into my new story I realized how much better my writing abilities were now than when I first started and decided to rewrite Humanization.

Long story short, Humanization has entered into the dreaded state of rewrite. I've got absolutely no idea when all this will be finished, it'll be a while at least. Still, I figure you all would rather know what's going on than be left in the dark.


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